Unlucky
by Dark Pirate Nellie
Summary: Sequel to The Luckiest. AU. Bella and Voldy were supposed to be the happiest couple in the world. But Bella is unlucky when she suddlenly becomes very ill with a serious sickness. And when things seem to get better, the impossible strikes. Upper end of T.
1. Chapter 1

For the first time in my life, I was happy.

Truly happy.

As I opened my eyes that morning as the Dark Lady for the first time, life seemed like a glittering crystal statue. The only thing about crystal, is that with the slightest jolt, it shatters.

I had everything I could want. Two beautiful homes, my own island, a loving family, and best of all: a wonderful husband. I felt a warm, wonderful feeling bubbling up inside my belly. I was happy, fortunate, healthy...

Then the feeling wasn't so wonderful anymore. The feeling was rising higher than my liking. I suddenly knew what was happening.

Scratch the healthy part.

I rolled over and vomited continuously over the edge of the bed.

Oh, joy. What a wonderful way to start my honeymoon. The day after my wedding, I get sick. Just when I thought I was the luckiest woman in the world, disaster strikes. Why is it always me?

Fuck life.

So I was faced with a dilemma. I could... a) wake my sleeping husband right away, b) let him sleep and then alert him when he woke, or c) clean up the mess silently and pretend nothing happened.

Of course, this was not an immediate issue, seeing as I could not control the flow coming from my open jaws. I could tell that whatever was going on, it was serious.

I felt stirring beside me. Then nothing. For moments, I had thought he had awaken, but seemingly, I was mistaken.

I tried to think of what could be going on. I could not recall ever hearing of an ilness that could do this to a person. I felt dizzy, obviously nauseous, exhausted, and very hot. The closest I could think of was Hallow's Eve flu, but that would only occur on Halloween, and we were nearing the end of July. Besides, not all the symptoms matched up. I had had Hallow's Eve flu once before, and I had been chilled. It was nothing like the extreme overheating I felt now.

The covers rustled again and the bed creaked as Voldemort sat up. He probably had not yet registered what was happening. Feeling the end, I tried to sit up, but just as I thought I was done, I felt the sick rising in my throat again and I threw my head over the edge once more.

I wondered how he would react. Would he be shocked? Disgusted? Concerned? Just nervous and uncomfortable? Tears sprung to my eyes as I struggled to stop, but I felt so sick.

Suddenly, there was a hand pulling back my hair, and another rubbing my back. I felt only a small sense of relief that he wasn't too revolted to do anything. I had known all along.

"Bella? Bella, what's going on?" I could hear the worry in his groggy voice.

I couldn't even pause to answer.

I felt a charm settle in my core, but I only felt worse. A slightly stronger spell was uttered softly and this time I was able to stop. With another inaudible incantation, the mess vanished. Firm, yet gentle hands pulled me back onto the bed and towards him.

"What is this?" he hissed. "How do you feel?"

I gulped. "Sick."

"I noticed. I would have used a more powerful spell, but I didn't want to hurt you. Do you know what's wrong?"

I shook my head. "I've never heard of anything like what I just felt."

He sighed. "Describe it. I'll see what I know."

"Okay... well I feel unnaturally sick. Like... nauseous. And my stomach also feels... well, different. Other than nauseous, there's something else. It might be warmth. I feel hot all over..." I paused as his face paled.

"Go on..."

"Umm... I'm really dizzy, REALLY tired, and... hungry?"

He nodded his head and reached out to feel my forehead. He pulled it away quickly. I could see it was red, as if he had been burned.

"Well? Do you know what's wrong with me?"

"Dragon fever."

"Come again?" I had studied magical illnesses before, but never had I heard of "dragon fever." I had even taken very advanced classes, but never was it even mentioned.

I realized I was broadcasting my thoughts.

"Dragon fever, yes. It's very rare, which is why you've probably never heard of it. I suppose, along with my apologies, I should congradulate you, as well."

"What?"

"Bella, did you use any Dark magic last night?"

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"Answer me."

"Okay, okay, it wasn't THAT bad! His fingers might grow back!"

He smirked and shook his head. "You're not in trouble. You see, dragon fever is a rare illness that only Dark wizards and witches get. It happens after you use a certain amount of Dark Magic."

"How do you know this?"

"I got it a very long time ago. Don't worry," he said, seeing as I backed away, "it's not contagious, and you can only get it once. Though you may feel the symptoms again, even after they seem to be done."

"How long?"

"The worst of it usually lasts two or three months."

I groaned. I really didn't want to deal with this right now. It was my honeymoon!

I still had more questions. "And everything I feel is... normal? Why is it even called dragon fever?"

"Well, you have a wild temperature, dragon-sized amounts of vomit, and despite your sickness, a dragon-sized appetite. Dizziness and exhaustion is also normal. However..."

"However, what?"

"Warmth in your stomach... well, it's been felt before, mostly by young women, but it's a rare symptom." He saw my panic. "Don't worrry, it doesn't mean anything; it's just not commonly felt."

"Ugh... so what do we do?"

"There isn't much to do. Potions don't help and powerful spells are harmful. Dragon fever isn't dangerous, unless overly treated, which happens a lot, unfortunately. Thankfully, we caught it quickly." Despite the seriousness of the situation, I felt like laughing at his thoughtful expression. He was so unlike himself, acting like Mr. Doctor.

"You need rest, lots of blankets, even though you'll be uncomfortable, and ice cream to cool down your system. We need to carefully monitor your temperature, because it'll be risky to let it rise over two hundred degrees."

With that, he conjured a thermometer out of the air and stuck it in my mouth. Within seconds, it beeped and he read the temperature.

"I'd better get you that ice cream quickly," he said, running out of the room.

Well, so much for my romantic honeymoon. Not only was I terribly ill, but my husband was being hopelessly doctor-like, if that makes any sense to say at all. This whole wonderful thing was quickly turned into a disaster.

Hopefully I would be healthy again, soon. I was anxious to get to my feet to repair the pieces of my newly shattered life. Unfortunately, it seemed like it would be a while.

I eyed the thermometer. I reached out and grabbed it, holding the number to the dim light.

Eighty-two degrees celcius. One hundred seventy-nine degrees farenheight.

If I was a muggle I'd be dead. What a great way to start my honeymoon.

I groaned, rolling onto my back. Almost immediatly, I felt nauseous, and I whipped myself around, spreading sick on the floor, once more.

I couldn't believe it.

So quickly, my perfect paradise had become horrible. Why did this have to happen to me? Didn't I deserve some good fortune?

Apparently, I was destined to be unlucky.

**So, heeeeeeeeeeeeere it is! The first chapter of "Unlucky!" Things are moving quickly! I just finished "I'm Sorry, Sweeney" yesterday! Please read it if you haven't! I love your support!**

**If you haven't read my story "The Luckiest" yet, STOP HERE! THIS IS A SEQUEL! READ IT BEFORE READING THIS!**

**Okay: so I'll sort of give you a timeline: As you can see, "Unlucky" is started right from where "The Luckiest" left off. Right now, this is July, going on to Harry's last year at Hogwarts. I didn't want to confuse anybody who thought that we ended right at OOTP. HBP has already gone by. Assume that that missing time was the time between the OOTP battle, Bellla's healing, and in the time Bella and Voldy waited before getting married. Almost everything is the same. Dumbledore is dead, but Draco has killed him. Don't worry, the HBP battle will be explained in later chapters, but does not play a major roll in the story. Now back to present time: The next month or so will be represented in a short amount of text, seeing as not much exciting will be happening while Bella is recovering. It's only eating and sleeping anyways, so you're not missing much. When she really starts feeling herself again, then we'll pick things up slowly. I'm not giving away major plot points. Bella's life is not in danger, because Voldy is taking good care of her. Right now, it is late July, almost August. Bella will begin to recover throughout August and early September. We'll throw in some romance there. :) I can't give away what will happen in the next eight months, but this story will include the Battle of Hogwarts (yay!). The Battle of Hogwarts took place in early May (May 2, to be exact.) There will be a short follow up to the Battle, maybe describing the month ahead, but just a summary, no details. In total, I am estimating this story to be about 30 normal sized chapters or 15 long ones. It depends on how much I write and how I split it up. Overall, this story covers August (late July) to May (probably to the end of that month), meaning that it will cover 9 to 10 months, all taking place during DH. There will be lots of surprises. I won't promise that Bella and Voldy live. :( But I'm not saying they will die. :)**

**Sorry if you just read all that and thought it was confusing, annoying, or boring. I just wanted to sum it all up without telling you exactly what happens.**

**Remember to keep an eye out for new things coming up! I have exact dates listed on the last chapter of "The Luckiest."**

**Just because I know you won't actually check, I am going to remind you of a very important event. On the New Year, January 1st, I WILL BE CHANGING MY USERNAME! It will become DarkPirateNellie. I hope none of you are disappointed. I just want to switch it because I am often confused with another Harry Potter fan of a similar name who does not currently have a FF account. I also got a little bored of it. But don't worry; this isn't going to be a regular thing. I don't plan on changing my username any time soon after.**

**Thank you for your patience! Expect a quick update! I have my first few chapters written already. I do need time however, to make necessary changes, edit, and give you all a chance to read before posting a new one. So expect nicely-timed updates, but not rapid.**

**Thanks so much! Tell me how you liked it so far!**

**P.S. Anyone who thought something would happen to Voldy, SORRY! :) Not hating on Bella, but unfortunately "spreading the wealth" doesn't actually happen in real life, and this makes for a better story anyways. :) Besides, it is extremely important to the plot that BELLA gets this illness and not Voldy (hope I'm not giving too much away). I really do love Bella. But it's the way things have got to go :)**


	2. Chapter 2

I swear, if I EVER have to eat ice cream again, I'm going to scream.

After I eat the ice cream.

Already, I had been very sick for a month, and it seems that I never did anything besides eat and sleep. It wasn't exactly voluntary. Voldemort watched over me like a hawk. He was constantly rushing in and out, feeling my forehead, bringing up tubs of ice cream. I had a huge appetite, but that could be partially due to the fact that I was throwing up whatever I consumed.

I felt disgusted with myself. I felt greedy, lazy, and a nuisance. I hated to see my new husband rushing around for me, but there was nothing I could do. I wanted to get better as soon as possible.

So, I reluctantly obeyed his orders to sleep a lot, stay under the covers, eat everything in sight, etc.

Maybe a few years ago, I would have been terribley bored, but I found myself appreciating the extra rest, somehow. I wasn't sure whether or not I had really changed. I had never been sick to the point where I would willingly sleep fifteen hours a day.

Voldemort said that I was doing everything right, and with luck, I would recover soon. I hoped he was right. I wanted the romantic honeymoon I had imagined my whole life.

I had never seen him like this before. I was his top priority at all times. I knew that we were close, but not that close. After all, he WAS the Dark Lord. Didn't he have other things he needed to do?

But he really did care enough to drop everything to look after me 24/7. I worried he would get sick if he didn't take a rest.

I was starting to get impatient, however. I wanted to get on with my life, not be stuck in bed forever. As tired as I was, I was restless.

So now, after a month of being sick, I was starting to get a little bit moody. I would get really depressed at random moments. Voldemort was on the receiving end of these quite often, unfortunately.

The first time it happened came as a shock to the both of us. I was just sitting in bed, puking my guts out as he walked into the room.

He felt my forehead and waited for the vomiting to stop. Then, he took a thermometer and tried to put it in my mouth. I wouldn't have it. All of the sudden, I was screaming my head off about how he always had to be hovering over me like my mother did. I yelled about how I wanted to go outside, or even just get out of bed and walk around. I was annoyed with everything. I wanted someone to talk to, something to entertain myself with. I was getting bored. I wanted freedom. I was tired, and not just physically. I wanted to finally do something instead of sitting around like a blob. I felt fat, lazy, stupid, boring, and just awful. I wanted to be a real person again. If anything, I was closer to a cat. Eat and sleep and play. Except the playing part.

It didn't stop there.

I hated myself and I hated this illness and I wanted things to be normal. I wanted peace, I wanted energy, I wanted to feel young and beautiful. I was tired of him always looking after me and making me feel guilty.

For most of the time, he stared at me with his jaw dropped. I supposed this was our first fight, though it was rather one-sided. He seemed perfectly fine to just let me ramble on and on, my voice becoming hoarse as my volume increased. My furious speech was cut off by a long stream of coughing. I tried starting up again, but-

"Stop!"

Finally he said something.

Now I was afraid. What had i just done? Why did I have to yell at him? I hated this fever. It was affecting everything, even my emotions now. I was enraged at myself. What had he done to provoke that? How could I be so selfish?

Without warning, tears sprung to my eyes. One slowly trickled down my cheek, and then I was sobbing.

"I'm sorry! I don't know what came over me," I said through my tears.

He sat on the edge of the bed and wiped away my tears. Firmly, he gripped my chin and forced me to look at him.

"Bellatrix, stop this right now. You are being foolish. It's my fault you feel like this."

I opened my mouth to respond before comprehending his words.

Wait. HIS fault?

"No, Voldemort, it was me, I'm sorry. I'm sick, but no, that's no excuse. I'm so sorry-"

"Bella."

I stopped. How could he do that to me? How did he so easily calm me? Make me listen?

"I understand and know why you are like this. You are bored and restless, am I correct?"

I nodded. "There's only so much time sleeping can take up. And you are always busy. I'm not complaining, of course. You're doing it for me, but it make is difficult. I wish I could see you more often. I want to be with you, to talk to you."

"I know."

I waited for him to continue.

"Bella, maybe it's time we saw your family. They know you're sick; I've already told them. We can go back to the mansion and invite them and we can take turns caring for you. When you make enough progress, we can come back here and finish our honeymoon. How does that sound?"

I hesitated. I wanted to see my famly, but I wanted to be alone with him. That, however, didn't seem like it would be happening until I recovered. So maybe some family time would do me good. I wouldn't be bored and I would get to see my sisters. And maybe Voldemort cound bond a bit with the blood-traitor side of my family.

If he didn't kill them first.


	3. Chapter 3

My eyes opened to see a blurry reflection of myself. Where was I? I couldn't think of a place with a mirrored ceiling.

As my surroundings came in focus, I realized that I was not, in fact, looking at myself. The woman staring down at me had lighter brown hair with gentler curls, hazel eyes instead of black, and a rounder face.

It all came back to me. I was at home. And my family must have arrived since, because the woman examining me was none other than my sister, Andromeda Tonks.

Her light pink lips curled into a warm smile. "How are you feeling, Bellatrix?"

I struggled to a sitting position and looked around. Andromeda was sitting at the end of the bed. Next to her, there was a beautiful, pale woman with golden hair. Narcissa Malfoy, my other little sister.

I opened my mouth to respond, but something didn't feel right. I tried to say, "I'm fine," but I only leaned over the edge of my bed and vomited.

I reconsidered my response. "Like crap," I said miserabley, as Narcissa whipped out her wand to clean the mess and Andromeda stared with shocked, wide eyes and a pitiful expression.

"I figured," said Narcissa, in a bored tone.

Andromeda continued to stare.

"Andy please," I coughed. "It looks bad, yes, and feels bad, yes... but it could be worse. I'm not dying." Andromeda looked horrified.

"She doesn't get it. All she can think is 'poor Bella.' Then again, she didn't see you vanish Dolohov's fingers last night." I smirked, and Narcissa giggled darkly in response. "Hello, Bella, dear."

"Hi, Cissy. Hi Andy." Andromeda did not look pleased.

"So THAT'S why he was screaming like a lady and clutching his hand? Bellatrix! I can't believe you did that! On your wedding night, too!"

Narcissa laughed. "I can. In fact, I would be surprised if she hadn't."

We were interrupted as Lupin and Tonks timidly entered the room. Lupin stood in the doorway, while Tonks hesitantly made her way to her mother's side.

"Hello, my Lady," she said nervously.

I laughed. "Darling, please, there's no need for that. I'm still Aunt Bella. Sit down, I don't bite. Though you may want to stay back, because anything I eat is always going to find it's way back up."

Andromeda smiled mischeiviously. "You may want to follow the same advice, sis, though for a different reason. Go on, Nymphadora, tell your aunt the happy news."

For the first time, Tonks' face lit up a bit. She smiled happily and said, "Remus and I are going to have a baby." Well, no wonder she seemed so happy. And no wonder he seemed so nervous. The werewolf was staring harsly at the ground. Although it was a joy for Tonks, he would probably be worrying the whole time that he would end up with a little cub. What a silly thought. The child would most likely have some werewolf personality traits at most. The kid would like raw meat, be rowdy and energetic, and have a bit of a temper. That wouldn't be too terrible.

"Congratulations, that's wonderful! Hey Remus, get over here. That officially makes you family," I said. He just shook his head and dashed out. Tonks sighed.

"He's just so worried. He thinks it'll be a werewolf, and he blames himself. I've told him that I won't care, that I'll love it anyways, but he doesn't want to hear it. It was an accident. We weren't planning on having a child, so now he thinks it's wrong." She sighed again.

I felt sorry for the young witch. I had taken a liking to my sister's only daughter. From the few occasions I had met her, I had determined that she was energetic, sarcastic, and full of spunk. She reminded me of myself, in a way. Her life even mirrored mine. Chasing after a man who loved her deep inside, but was too afraid to give his heart to her: sound familiar at all?

I told her my prediction about the child's werewolf-ness, and she seemed to relax a bit. "That might change his mind, if not just ease his worries a bit." She absentmindedly rested her hand on her still-flat stomach.

"I hope so," I said. "Besides, even if the kid is a werewolf, at least it's not mine and Voldy's. Think about that. That's a scary thought. It's times like these that I'm glad I can't have babies," I said thoughtfully.

I got a little giggle out of Tonks. Good, she was starting to warm up to me.

"So," I continued, "speaking of my husband, have you spoken to him yet?" This was directed towards Andromeda and Tonks.

"Only briefly," Tonks replied. "He greeted us, explained the situation, and led us to you. Since then, we haven't spoken a word."

"Well, make sure you do. I want him get used to the idea of having you around every now and them. It would be wonderful if you could get along. Where is he, anyways?"

"Right here," said a chilling voice from the hall. Voldemort stepped into the room, looking quite silly from holding a large carton of ice cream in his pale hands.

"Speak of the devil," I said. He gave me a death glare. "Literally."

"This is how you thank me? Do you know how many of these you've gone through? All I do is run up and down stairs!"

I rolled my eyes. "Then why not just bring the refrigerator up here?" I grabbed the spoon excitedly and flung the cover off. I was starving. But when I opened the lid, I crinkled my nose.

"Does this smell off to you at all?" Everyone shook their heads.

"It smells delicious," said Tonks.

I shrugged my shoulders and shoveled a spoonful into my mouth. I gagged.

"What IS this? It tastes like elf shit!"

"And you know what elf droppings taste like?" Narcissa questioned sarcastically.

"Well, thanks, glad I'm so useful," grumbled Voldemort.

"Let me taste some," said Andromeda. She ate it thoughtfully. "It seems fine to me. It's just regular strawberry ice cream."

I tried another bite, but I could barely swallow it. It wasn't absolutely disgusting, but the taste just wasn't right to me. "Weird, I usually love strawberry ice cream. Ugh, it must be this dumb dragon fever affecting my taste."

"Does that mean you require another flavor, your Highness?" Voldemort asked in an exasperated tone. It seemed that my easily annoyed attitude had caught on to him.

"Yes... how about... chocolate?"

He raised an eyebrown. "But you don't like chocolate ice cream."

"Yeah... but I thought I liked strawberry, didn't I?"

He grunted and sweeped out of the room. I laughed at his retreating form.

"Do you think we should catch him?"

"Nah, let's just let him figure it out for himself."

Apparently, he had forgotten that he was a wizard and could easily change the strawberry to chocolate in a heartbeat.

**Okay, so... Happy Christmas! This is your present. I hope you liked it. Even though I've been working on this for a few months, it just seems like a good Christmas update. I like having a lighter, happier, more humorous chapter every now and then. :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hi everybody! Happy New Year! As you can see, I have my new username! ****This chapter is very long. I was originally gooing to make it into 2, but I thought that where the plot cut off better fits the New Year's setting, regardless the mood at the end.**

"I've changed my mind," I said while making a face. "The chocolate is worse. I just don't think I can stand any more ice cream."

"How about a popsicle?" suggested Andy.

I glared.

"Bella, your temperature is too high. You're burning up. You need something cold before the dragon fever literally sets you on fire."

I rolled my eyes. "Fine. How about peanut butter?"

Narcissa transfigured the ice cream. Voldemort's eyes were wide and his face was red with anger as he mentally slapped himself for not thinking of that himself. I held back my giggles as I cautiously took a bite.

"Mmm . . . Much better. I don't believe I've had peanut butter in a long time."

"Meaning six hours ago?"

I sighed, ignoring my husband's last comment. "I hope that I get better quickly. I'm tired of all of this. I want to have a normal life again." I picked at the ice cream absentmindedly.

"But Aunt Bella . . . You've never had a normal life."

"I suppose not. Let's call it more normal than usual." I blinked, realizing that Tonks had not spoken. "Draco! I thought you were still afraid of me!"

My little blonde nephew was leaning against the doorframe. Except, all of the sudden, he wasn't very little. The tiny, annoying, snot-nosed toddler was now a full-grown man. I was surprised. I had seen Draco since I had been in Azkaban, but they had been brief visits and I had never paid him much attention. I now realized how old my little sister's son was. I could feel my eyes tearing up at the thought of my family growing up.

"Yeah, well, you're a bit less intimidating when you're hugging a carton of ice cream like a teddy bear." He sauntered over and I could see the pride and swagger in his stride.

"Oh, Draco," I laughed while tears trickled from the corners of my eyes. "It's good to see you," I whispered into his ear. "Narcissa, what did you do to the boy? He grew like a weed."

"And he keeps growing."

Draco made a face. "Mother, stop it. I'm not a little child."

"I can see that," I replied, wiping my tears away. "Narcissa, when did this happen?"

"Oh, Bella, are you getting all emotional?" I laughed, pulling my face away and I shook my head. Andromeda frowned and began to rearrange the blankets.

"You're overtired," Andromeda scolded.

"I am not." This was pursued by a great yawn.

"Go to bed."

"No," I yawned. But my eyes were drooping and I loosened my grip on the empty carton of ice cream.

"Aunt Bellatrix is funny sometimes, isn't she?"

"I wouldn't have her any other way," said Voldemort as I drifted off to sleep.

I smiled as I welcomed my dreams.

Unfortunately, real life isn't a world of dreams. Just as something begins to get better, it gets worse than before.

After being sick for two months, I was finally starting to feel better. The constant vomiting was replaced with slight nausea. My temperature returned to normal. I was still tired, but not so much as before. Foods still didn't taste right because I always had a faint taste of sickness in my mouth, but I still had a large appetite, so I paid no attention.

If anything, my appetite was larger than even before. Voldemort was surprised at the extent of my hunger, but he said that it was normal for me to be eating more. It was all part of the healing process, especially from an illness as difficult as dragon fever.

At least I was done with ice cream. With my temperature down, there was no need to eat cold foods anymore. Still, I was prohibited from eating hot foods, in case it brought the fever back. Of course, Voldemort said that it would be possible that I might get some of the symptoms later on, but nothing severe.

For about two weeks, things were going smoothly. I was even able to get up and go out for short amounts of time to enjoy the crisp fall air.

Something still wasn't right. I felt like there was something in my life that wasn't there before. I was sure I knew what.

Empty time.

I had everything in the world that I could possibly want, but nothing to do with it. I had my family with me, this was true, but what I really wanted was some time with my husband. I had no time with him, never mind alone with him.

I was disgusted with myself for feeling this way, but I was upset at him. I knew it wasn't his fault. His perfectly thought out plan had failed. Harry Potter was alive and searching for his Horocruxes. After taking time to tend to me, my husband had to take steps towards stopping him. I wanted what was best for Voldemort. I would die for him, but my emotions were snared in a big tangled mess. I wanted him to drop everything. I wanted him to be with me every waking moment. It seemed that the few moments we had ended in screaming fits from me.

I didn't understand why I was so mad. It wasn't logical. My mind said that there was no reason to be angry, but my heart screamed. Even though I knew he was doing what was best for us, my temper roared.

I was just selfish, I supposed. The thought made my heart beat quickly and formed beads of sweat on my forehead. It wasn't the selfishness itself that scared me. It was that I didn't care that I was being selfish. The fact that I didn't care about what was best for him. For us. For purebloods everywhere. It didn't bother me that I wanted what I wanted, no matter the consequences.

The fact that it didn't bother me did.

I knew what I had to do. Next time we had time to talk, I had to fix things, to stay calm.

But things never go as planned.

I was sitting outside on the grass, watching the leaves fall, when I felt the presence of someone behind me. I turned around and smiled at Voldemort.

He smiled back, but I could see that his heart wasn't in it. His eyes had dark circles around them like he hadn't gotten sleep in a long time and his skin was so pale it was almost translucent.

I hesitated. "Tired?"

He nodded.

"You're busy. Too busy."

" Bella, please, not this again." He rubbed his forehead in an exhausted way and turned to leave.

"No, please. I'm not trying to fight. I'm just saying . . ."

"Yes. If you must know, I am. But it's not that I don't have enough time to sleep. I'm just not using that time well."

"Voldemort?"

"I've been worrying."

"Oh."

He sat down next to me. His eyes studied mine and my heart beat faster. I truly smiled for once. I had been worrying; I thought that the arguing meant we weren't in love after all. But looking in his eyes gave me a whole new perspective and I was reassured.

"Voldemort, what have you been worrying about?"

He examined my face closely. "You. Us."

"Are you still worried?"

He paused, but his eyes did not leave mine. "I don't think so."

He space between us disappeared, and we kissed. All the troubles of the world vanished as well. Every time we were together, I felt like nothing could be wrong. We had to be in love. How could I doubt it?

"Even though we fight, we love each other, don't we?"

"Anger doesn't eliminate all other emotions. I love you all the time."

He stood up. "Where are you going?"

"I have work to do."

Oh no. The happy feelings were quickly replaced with fury. Stay calm. Stay. Calm.

"You just sat down." Oh no. The words were harsher than I intended. Stay calm. Stay . . .

"I have very important things to do."

"No! You have to stay! All I want is two damn minutes with you, and then you just run off again! I can't stand it! You-"

"Bella! Stop this!"

"No, you stop! I'm sick of this all! I'm just so sick-"

I felt disgust at him welling up. Why? It wasn't his fault. Couldn't I just stay calm?

"I'm sick of it. I'm sick! I'm . . ."

Not this again. I leaned over and vomited. I couldn't see his face, but the soft hands in my hair told me that his look of fury had changed to a look of concern. My hair was pulled off my back as my vomit ruined the picturesque garden.

When I stopped, he felt my forehead and sighed in relief. "Good. The fever isn't back."

"But the symptoms are!" I sobbed. MY anger quickly changed to desperateness. This was the last thing I needed.

"It could be worse."

I still considered myself unlucky. Especially after the two weeks to come.

After putting up with throwing up, sleeping, and eating for another two weeks, I was getting very moody again. The day that my symptoms came back snapped me into reality, but now I only felt anger at the world. At least I wasn't all hot again. If the fever itself had come back, things would have been awful. Well, more so than they already were. Even so, I would trade the temperature for the throw up any day, though Voldemort said it didn't work like that.

This was on one of the even rarer occasions that I saw him. He never had time to see me.

My family was now getting the worst of my moodiness. Without the source of the anger to take it out on, my family suffered instead. Usually over trivial things.

One day, though, I was more upset than I usually was, and Andromeda said something rather insensitive.

My response, however, was completely inappropriate and intolerable, no matter what condition I was in.

It was just my sisters and me in the room. Narcissa and I were casually talking about things of little importance while Andromeda was gazing out the window with glassy eyes.

"Hey, Andromeda," I asked, "are you okay?"

"Me?" Narcissa rolled her eyes. "Yeah." She looked back out the window at the steady rain that had been falling for a week.

Narcissa and I continued our conversation.

A few minutes later, Andy had still not said anything.

"Andromeda, are you sure you're okay?" I repeated.

"Yeah, Andy, you seem a little lost."

"Yes, I suppose so. I'm just a little bored."

This struck a soft spot, but I kept my cool. "Bored?"

She sighed. "Yeah. It's just that I sort of feel like there is nobody to talk to and nothing to do. It's like I want to do things, but I can't do them. It's just been boring for the past few days."

"You know nothing about bored!"

Andromeda looked shocked at my sudden hostility. I was fuming. I had been stuck in bed for three whole months, leading up to the fourth, and she was complaining about boredom?

She continued to look shocked and hurt for a few seconds before her eyes widened in realization.

"Oh, my Merlin! Bellatrix, I'm so sorry! I shouldn't have!"

"I just can't believe you!" I didn't even have thoughts of calmness. "I've been stuck like this forever and YOU complain? It's not like you can't leave, like me! You could go home! If you don't want to be here, why are you here!"

She started crying. "I'm sorry, Bella, I'm sorry!"

"You just don't get it! You'll never get it! I hate you! Don't you know what I've been through? I'm not just bored! I'm miserable, too! I've been sick! I've been puking my guts out! I only have enough energy to eat and sleep! I do nothing but sit in bed all day and have small talk with whoever's available, none of those people being my own husband! Do you want to be sick? Do you want to switch places with me? Yes? No? Well, answer me! Tell me what you think! Answer!"

She just kept her head down, tears silently falling.

"Bella, is this really necessary?" asked Narcissa, rubbing Andromeda's back gently.

"And YOU! Always having to be the perfect little pureblood! Sitting here, talking nonsense! I'm sick of you! You defend everyone, but never stick up for me! Am I never right? Ever? You disgust me! You feel the same way, too!" Narcissa shook her head disbelievingly. "And you! Answer!" I had turned back to Andromeda.

I spoke the unforgivable.

"Answer me!" I screamed loudly, tears flooding my own face. "Answer me, you filthy, disgusting, insensitive MUDBLOOD!"

All three of us gasped and everything froze, even the tears. There wasn't even an echo.

"I- I'm sorry. I don't know why . . . I didn't mean to say it!" My voice was a low whisper. "No, Andy, I didn't! Narcissa!"

Andromeda was crying too hard to speak. Narcissa's face was wet as well. She replied shakily, "No. That's the last straw." She hurried the sobbing Andromeda away.

My mind was an ever-swirling whirlpool of chaos. Every sense was absorbed in the churning waters of my brain. My sight, my hearing, my feelings. I was only aware of the dark, silent, ever-moving water. Even my sense of time was lost. When I was dragged back into reality, the clouds were dark with night.

"Bellatrix." Voldemort's face was unreadable. He answered my question before I could ask it. "Gone. They left after what you said."

"You know what I said?"

"Yes."

"Are you . . ."

He sighed and looked away. "Right now, I just don't know what to think. Maybe you should get some sleep."

For once, I kept my mouth shut.

He continued, "If you need anything, I'll be in the room across the hall."

As the door closed too loudly for the force it was shut with, I began to sob helplessly. YOU go to bed, not LET'S go to bed. I'll be ACROSS THE HALL, not BY YOUR SIDE. At the time I needed someone the most, not even Voldemort was there for me.

I tried to follow his advice, but with no success. My thoughts were too rapid and many for me to relax. I was disgusted with myself and regretting this whole day.

After hours of failed attempts to rest, I wandered downstairs. Having nothing better to do, I grabbed a carton of ice cream and ate the whole thing, hoping it would ease my mind. It didn't.

Perhaps drastic times called for drastic measures. I looked over the fridge. We had a fair amount of booze. I reached for a beer, but a feeling in the pit of my stomach made me take my hand away empty. If my morals were finally kicking in, they were a bit late. Despite my disbelief at myself, I only walked away with another carton of ice cream.

After this second carton, I decided that I should just take a walk to calm myself down. I walked slowly, examining every little thing in our hallway, trying to take my mind somewhere else. I analyzed every little painting, every minor detail in the walls. Any decoration we had, or even light switch. Eventually, I came to a mirror.

I hadn't looked in a mirror in a long time, not since my wedding day four months ago. I shivered, not just from the chilly wind coming through an open window.

I looked nothing like I remembered. My face was thin and hollow with dark circles under my eyes. I was pale, deathly pale, without the slightest color to my lips or cheeks. This illness had taken a toll on me, and I was realizing to what extent. My hair was gnarled and fingernails chipped. I had a curious look on my face that was unfitting for my emotions. There was the strangest glow in my eyes that I had seen before, but could not place.

My body looked odd and unfamiliar under my pajamas. I was skinnier than I remembered in some places and rounder in others. My arms and hands were especially thin. They looked like they could be broken with even the slightest effort.

I wasn't sure what to think. I wasn't revolted by myself, but curious and disbelieving. I ran my hands down my face, neck, arms, and stomach, trying to make some sense of this new person I was seeing. The breeze lifted my hair slightly and ruffled my loose pajama top drastically.

I froze. The wind blew in just a way that I saw something I hadn't seen before. I ran my hands all over myself again, stopping as what I was seeing sunk in.

No. It couldn't be. Not just because I didn't want to be like this. I knew it was impossible. The woman I was seeing, it had to be a lie. This new person did not exist. I was Bellatrix. Just Bellatrix. Just as Voldemort was just Voldemort.

I couldn't have this. I couldn't be like this. Why was everything changing? I began to panic. Everything lately had seemed impossible. But it wasn't impossible. It was only improbable.

I turned every way possible, trying to make this new person disappear. I wanted to see Bellatrix. Nothing more, nothing less. Just myself. I wanted an image that was familiar to my eyes. I wanted the security of knowing who I was. But it wasn't there. Security didn't exist in anything anymore.

I felt faint, so I sat down shakily. After everything that had happened today, how could this be true? At a time like this, this was the last thing I needed.

It wasn't true. The woman in the mirror was just Bellatrix. That's all. Just Bellatrix. I fed myself lies until I could stand it no longer.

This time, I did not have millions of thoughts buzzing around. I had one very important, scary thought stuck in the front of my mind. Time passed even more quickly than before.

"Bellatrix."

Six hours later, I was in the exact same spot, thinking that only six minutes had gone by. My eyes were only focused on one spot. I didn't even glance up. I knew Voldemort was there. What would I say to him? The more important thought pushed this new one away, however related they were.

"How long have you been here? All night?" He received no response. "What is this? Bellatrix, why are you even here?"

He must have sensed something was wrong, because he stepped over to me and asked, "What's the matter? What happened? This can't still be about your sisters." I shook my head wildly and grasped his robes.

"Bella," he said, his voice filled with urgency. "What's the matter? Talk to me. Something's very wrong, isn't it? Bellatrix?"

My eyes squeezed shut and a nodded my head vigorously, pulling harder on his robes, he helped me to me feet and supported me as I swayed dangerously. I felt a familiar feeling in the pit of my stomach. It all made sense now. It was so dreadful, yet innocent. I opened my mouth to respond, but no words came out. Six hours after the realization, I was still too shocked to speak.

"Show me at least. I have to know what's wrong."

My hand moved over my stomach. He didn't see anything except me staring at myself in the mirror.

"It's not about the way you look is it?" I nodded slowly. His confusion only increased. "Bellatrix?"

My shaky hand grasped his to bring it to my slightly rounded belly. He hesitated and faltered a bit. "You're beautiful, Bella. I know you've been eating a lot, but you'll lose-"

He halted.

My heart jumped.

"What was that?"

Nothing happened. And then . . .

Another nudge from below my skin.

"No." I closed my eyes and brought our hands closer. "It can't be." I opened my eyes and nodded slowly.

"I can't believe it. I won't. It can't be . . . You're sure?"

Yes. I was.

"You need to say it. I need you to say it. Make it final."

Oh gosh. How could I? I couldn't make it final.

It couldn't be.

It was impossible.

But it wasn't. Not impossible.

Just improbable.

"I think . . ." His breath was held as I spoke the terrifying words. "I think I'm pregnant."

His hands flew to his face as tears streamed down mine.

"I never would have even thought it."

"Me neither," I cried. "It was the dragon fever. I had the symptoms all along, but I thought they were only from the fever! I never knew!"

"How could this happen?" His voice was incredibly shaky. "The healing spells we used after the battle in the Ministry should have made you infertile."

"Narcissa said that there was a chance it wasn't true, but I never thought . . ."

"That you would be the exception to a general rule."

"No!" I sobbed. "And I was so distracted by the fever that I didn't notice that I didn't have my period at all!"

"Wait! You didn't have it at all? How far along are you even?"

I froze. No . . . I wasn't ready for this. So soon . . .

"Since our wedding night. That's the only time we did it. I'm four months along." I whispered the last part, not believing how oblivious I had been.

"What?"

"Four. Four months."

"How did we not see it earlier? How could this happen?" he exclaimed.

"The fever."

He hesitated. "Bellatrix, this is obviously a shock and I don't want to rush your decision, but we are running out of time sooner than expected." He took a deep breath. "Are we going to keep it?"

"Yes." I was surprised at how quickly the answer came. I didn't want an abortion. I didn't want the baby, either, but since it was already there, I couldn't just kill it. What was I pulling us into? He was taking deep breaths, but I could see he was far from calm.

"Okay. In that case, may I?" His hand was extended outwards. I nodded permission, and he rested it over my abdomen. We both felt it nudge again.

"So early on," he said in amazement. I was small for four months, but the baby was incredibly strong. "It will be powerful."

"Do think there's the slightest chance that I might not be . . .?" I asked hopefully.

"I think there is definitely a baby. But we should make a potion to be sure."

The realization hit me of what this really meant. To prevent myself from falling, I slid down the wall behind me.

"Bellatrix?"

"You might want to sit down."

"I don't think anything you say could be shocking compared to this."

It wasn't the pregnancy that scared me. It wasn't the birth. Not even the crying baby that we would have in five months.

"We're having a child."

"Really? I think I got that much."

"Don't you get it? We have to be parents! We have to raise and teach this kid . . . be there for it all the time . . . I'm going to be a mother. You're going to be a father!" I exclaimed, horrified at the thought of us as parents.

There was a thump as my husband's unconscious body crumpled to the floor. Oh he got it all right. He should have sat down.

I ran my hand over my belly countless times, feeling the nudges both on the outside and inside.

The word "mother" echoed in my ears as I pictured this new life.

**Well? You are probably either saying "That is SO predictable and cliche" or "I never even saw that coming." So... are you surprised or not? What are your thoughts on what will happen? I'm hoping this chapter will spark many reviews.**

**So, for those of you who wanted Voldemort to be sick, this is why he couldn't be. :)**

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	5. Chapter 5

**LOOOOOOOOONG. But I just couldn't find a nice place to stop it :) SO enjoy.**

**But... before you do... I've noticed that my numbers of reviews per chappie have dropped since The Luckiest drastically. SO: if you want the next chapter: review. I hate doing this, but I refuse to write any more until I have at least 20. Please don't be mad, but I crave reviews and I need them desperately. Remember though: If you review and leave a suggestion, I might use it in the story if it fits into the plot.**

The sun was just peeking over the treetops. Singing birds and green leaves made the world seem ironically cheery. Somehow, there was not even a cloud in the sky.

Another soft moan behind me pulled my gaze from the window. Still leaning against the sill, I threw a glance over my shoulder. Voldemort was still out cold.

I sighed heavily as I sat on the floor beside him. His eyes were closed and his face relaxed, despite the stress he would undoubtedly feel upon regaining consciousness.

I had already determined that it wouldn't be a good idea to move him. As thin as he was, he was still rather heavy to lift. I didn't know much about children, but I didn't want to risk hurting the baby. It was funny how concerned I was. I was still horrified at the thought of having a child, and yet I wanted no harm to come to it. Even before I realized I was pregnant, I had avoided bringing harm to it, hadn't I? My thoughts flickered to the moment earlier this morning when my hand hovered over a beer before pulling away, feeling something in the pit of my stomach that was telling me not to drink it.

The wait was really getting to me. As likely as it was that I was expecting, I wanted to be sure immediately. Although I didn't want to take any action until my husband could be with me as well, I had to know. The suspense was killing me. I finally got to my feet and went to sort through boxes of wedding presents.

After throwing around scraps of paper and strips of ribbon, I came to a medium-sized, average-looking box. I opened it and lifted the two contents inside. The larger bottle read "Pregnancy Potion." I shook my head darkly at the small vial next to it. That Death Eater _had_ deserved to get his fingers removed, no matter what anyone said about "just joking around." I tossed the disgusting thing into the trash, followed by its label that read "Rat Poison." What a bloody idiot.

However, it seemed that one part of his gift would come in use. I took the potion and poured about a fourth of its contents into a cauldron after carefully reading the instructions on the back. My hands were trembling as I plucked a single hair from my head and dropped it into the pure white brew. Now I just had to wait exactly one minute.

The potion because to fizz and bubble, though it remained silent. It turned a light grey, gradually shifting between a grey-pink, dark grey, and grey-blue. The colors began to switch at increasing speeds, finally flickering so rapidly that I only saw a dark lavender. I glanced at the clock. Only ten seconds to go. The colors stopped changing and abruptly became pure white again, which began to softly glow. I closed my eyes nervously as I knew that the result was now right in front of me.

I took a deep breath, appreciating the blackness behind my lids, the privilege of not knowing.

When the wait became too much to bear, my eyes snapped open and focused on the cauldron, unable to see through the spots of light that greeted them. As my eyes adjusted to the exposure, the color faded into my sight.

Pink.

Of course, I had no clue what this meant. I stumbled around in clutter, my panicking heart fluttering as I thrashed around, searching for the bottle. I finally spotted it right where I had left it, on the table. Rolling my eyes, I grasped it desperately and searched for the meaning of each color.

Instructions.

Warnings.

Pictures of babies.

Finally, the colors.

I read carefully: _dark grey: unable to tell. too soon after intercourse._

_blue: hair sample belongs to a male._

_green-_

My sight was torn away as my stomach churned and I threw up all over the carpet. I didn't stop to clean it up and didn't wait until the squeamishness had passed. Stomach still uneasy, I determinedly continued.

_green: not pregnant._

My heart sank as I read the words I knew all along.

_pink: pregnant._

So it was final. The bottle said itself, the potion was brewed by the most skillful wizards and had 0% chance of being wrong. Even if it was brewed incorrectly, it would produce no results, never incorrect ones. I was pregnant.

I sank into a chair nearby, feeling weak in the knees and utterly defeated. And alone. Voldemort was just as shocked and upset as me. Not to mention unconscious. I wasn't close enough to any of my Death Eater friends to seek support. And my sisters were rightfully upset with me. I know Narcissa would not forgive me in a long time, and at the moment, wouldn't even hear a word from me if I came to speak with her. I could see the anger in her eyes when she glared at me, that unforgiving stare.

And as for Andromeda, how could I? I had insulted her the worst, calling her every name in the book, including mudblood, which wasn't even true. It was like calling a perfectly legitimate child a bastard. What had I ever done that could ever compare- I gasped and sat upright. Andromeda forgave me when I went seeking for help with Voldemort, and I had disowned her before that. This time, my temper had gotten away with me, plus my newly-discovered hormones, but it was not as horrible as shunning her entirely. Even if she refused to speak with me, shouldn't I at least let her know that I'm sorry? This was different, fresh pain, but maybe not as strong. And I had my conscience to consider as well, because guilt kept nagging at me. I hurried quickly down the halls once more, walking as quickly as I could, but careful to not break into a run.

Voldemort was still out. I sighed, quickly scribbling a hurried note on a scrap of parchment.

_Dear Voldy,_

_In case you didn't realize, you passed out when I told you that you might become a father. I could not stand the wait, so I used the potion, and found that, yes, you will become a father. I've gone to visit Andromeda to apologize and explain the situation. I trust you won't mind. Even if they are upset with me, my sisters are trustworthy. I know they won't speak a word to anyone else without permission directly from you or myself. And please don't faint again._

_I'm so sorry about all of this. Don't worry about me, unless I don't return before dark. I promise to be safe._

_Love, Bella_

Despite the seriousness of its contents and my weariness and still-subsiding shock, I couldn't help but giggle at the slightly humorous tone of the note. Damn hormones.

I was about to disapparate when a voice in my head screamed "NO!" I stopped suddenly and almost broke down in tears. I was about to do it, just out of habit, but I couldn't apparate anymore. I didn't know much about pregnancy, but I had heard gruesome stories of women who had splinched their unborn children from them. Trying to remain as calm as possible, I headed for the fireplace, even though I was still shaking from the near-disaster.

I lit the Floo and then paused. I couldn't exactly go Flooing myself right into Andromeda's house, so I decided to simply stick my head through and hope she didn't scream in my face as soon as she saw me.

Suddenly, I was inside Andromeda's fireplace. I looked around the room, and thankfully, only Andromeda was present. She was frowning at a book and seemed to be deep in thought.

I took a deep breath and whispered her name. She didn't look up. I tried a bit louder, but I didn't want anyone else to hear. After a raised my voice slightly for the third time, her gaze broke and rested on me. Her then contorted with some sort of confused emotion that was possibly a mixture of rage and relief.

"Bellatrix," she growled. Oh boy. I was in trouble. "How DARE you Floo your evil little face into my house after what you just did less than a day ago? You don't even have the decency to wait! And of course, you offer me no choice of accepting your request to enter my home by even having enough manners to apparate to my front door instead!"

"Andromeda, I'm so sorry for what I said! Please, just let me in to speak with you! I want to apologize! And I have something very important to say!"

She glowered at me. "And you couldn't even wait the two seconds to ring on my door?"

"Once you hear what I have to say, you'll be thanking me for not apparating." Andromeda still looked upset, but I could see that the curiosity was getting the best of her. "Why? Explain, and I'll speak with you."

"I can't, Andromeda, I'm so sorry. I need total trust. This is life-changing and needs to be kept secret. Speaking of which, are you home alone?"

"What kind of question is THAT?" She screeched. "Are you going to curse me or something? You better not try a thing!" She raised her wand threateningly.

"I swear I have no intentions of that, and you know I never would, no matter how angry I get. Besides, I'm afraid I'm not much of a threat to anyone at the moment." Her eyebrows raised.

"And why would that be?"

"Well," I responded, choosing my words carefully, "I can't really say. It happens to be because of the exact same thing that I need to tell you. Let's just say...I'm not quite sure that spells are safe for me right now."

Her face scrunched in thought before she sighed and a very small smile formed on her lips. "Okay, you've got me. I need to know what this is."

I grinned. "There's the Andy I know and love." I reached my hand into the fire and allowed Andy to pull my body through on the other side. Standing up, I began to brush the soot off my clothes with Andromeda's help. I flinched away instinctively as her hands got near my belly. She didn't notice, but I was relieved when she moved back up my arms to my shoulders and hair.

"All joking aside, Andy, this is very serious and a huge shock," I said as she guided me to the now familiar seats in her home. All signs of hurt in her eyes were replaced with curiosity and amusement, but I still felt the need to apologize.

"Andromeda, I can't tell you how sorry I am for what I said. It was awful, and I did it because... well, there is no excuse. It was just wrong. I'm so incredibly sorry, more than you could know."

She sighed, though her eyes were studying my face and I could feel her trying to break into my mind to find the big secret. "No, Bellatrix," she said, stopping her searching. "I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have said what I said, either. I wasn't thinking."

"It's no excuse, no matter what. I'm sorry."

"Apology accepted."

We sat awkwardly for a moment before she asked, "Well, are you going to reveal this big life-changing secret?"

"I'm just not sure where to start. And to find a way to say it without shocking myself all over again or making you scream in my face."

"Oh." She stood up. "Well I'll leave it to you to think for a minute." She exited the room, returning with a tray of various bottles of juice, soda, butterbeer, and firewhiskey all too soon. I really didn't know how to say it. It was so much easier with Voldemort asking what was wrong. Here I was with Andromeda who had no clue whatsoever of the nature of my news.

She looked at me strangely as she put the tray down and for me to take something. My fingers hovered over a bottle of pumpkin juice, but my mind was elsewhere and I simply rested my hand on the table.

"You look like you need something to calm you down, Bella. Firewhiskey?"

"No!" I shouted, panicked.

Her eyes widened with shock. She began to splutter out apologies "I'm sorry, I was just-"

"Andromeda, I'm pregnant!" I blurted.

She dropped the bottle and it fell with a crash before the room went completely silent.

"Oh my gosh!"

She stood in the puddle of firewhiskey with her jaw dropped and her eyelids open so wide that they were barely visible, as tears began to trickle down my cheeks.

"No. I must have heard incorrectly. You can't be-"

"I just tested with a potion." I rested my hand on my stomach as I tried to control my tears. "I'm going to have a baby."

She raced right to me and pulled me into a tight hug as I cried into her soft hair.

"Bella, Bella, Bella..." she murmured softly. "How?"

"We didn't know I could get pregnant. We assumed I was infertile because of the healing spells used on me after the last battle. But it turns out I wasn't. And we made a baby!" I broke into fresh sobs.

She was silent and let me continue.

"Not only that, but I'm too old to have a kid! Look at you! You're younger than me, but you'll become a grandmother before I'll become a mother! Your kid is having a kid before me! I'll be a great-aunt before a mother! I never even thought of having children! It was never something I really wanted!"

She comforted me and let me cry for a few minutes before saying, "Please, Bellatrix, calm down. Tell me everything you know."

I took a deep breath and wiped away the last of my tears. "I know that it was conceived on our wedding night. We never had time after to... you know what. We didn't try any protection; we didn't think there was any need to. I'm already four months pregnant. We couldn't tell until now because the symptoms were hidden by the dragon fever and we couldn't see my belly since I've basically just been in pajamas. And it's strong. Voldemort could feel it kick." Her face gave away a brief look of shock and her eyes traveled to my stomach. I pulled up the fabric of my loose shirt up to my ribs so she could see. She looked closely for a second before gently placing her hand on my somewhat swollen middle. I shivered from the coolness of her hand that rested there.

"I don't feel anything," she commented, "except a perfectly still baby bump." Right as she finished, there was a kick.

Her glance at me was questioning. I nodded, and put my hand next to hers to feel the next three nudges on the inside and outside.

"Whoa," she breathed. I gave her a half-smile.

"See?" I asked, shaking my head. "I don't know much at all about pregnancy, but I know that's not normal."

"No," she said, continuing to gasp at each movement. "It's not normal. Not unheard of, but not normal. On most pregnant witches, people can't feel anything on the outside in the seventh month, never mind the fourth."

"Why is it so strong, then?"

"Probably because of your power. You are a very skilled and powerful witch and your husband is a very skilled and powerful wizard. I suppose that it is for the same reason that most Muggle women's babies don't kick strong enough to feel on the outside at all. They don't have magic."

"Oh," I replied, not knowing quite else what to say. Andromeda looked uncomfortable with still having her hand on my belly, but there was sadness in her eyes as she pulled it away.

"Don't," I ordered, and put her fingers back against my skin. "I don't mind." She smiled again and I could see her eyes shine with every nudge she felt.

"You seem very excited about this, all of the sudden," I commented.

She shrugged her shoulders. "Aren't you? Even just a little bit?"

I sighed and rubbed my stomach gently. "I'm not really sure how I feel at the moment. I don't really know what I want. All I know is that at the time I didn't want a baby, but now that it's there, I don't have the heart to..."

"Harm it."

"Exactly. But I don't know if I actually want this, or if I'm just going along with it."

She gave me one last reassuring pat before allowing me to readjust my shirt and stand up. "You'll figure it out."

"I suppose I will. And you'll tell me everything I need to know?"

"Of course."

"Thank you. I can't begin to tell you how grateful I am and how wonderful you are." She smiled shyly. "Well, I guess we should get going."

Her nose scrunched in confusion. "Going. Going where?"

"We have to tell Narcissa, of course." For whatever reason, this made her blush and look away, clearly frazzled. "Something wrong?"

She looked at me sheepishly from under her lashes. "She made me promise that we wouldn't forgive you for a long time."

I rolled my eyes. "That's Cissy for you. We just have to make sure we tell her it is a special circumstance before she yells us out of her house."

Andy sighed defeatedly and nervously lit the Floo.

"It is safe for the baby, right?" I asked.

"Yes. It's perfectly fine. As you correctly guessed, apparation is strictly forbidden. Brooms are okay for a while, but soon that'll be dangerous too, because the extra weight and awkward bulk makes it easier to fall off."

"And running?" She raised her eyebrows. "You know me, always hurrying around."

"Fine until the later months, as long as you don't strain yourself too much," she laughed and stepped into the fire. As she disappeared, she shouted out, "Wait a few seconds for me to tell Narcissa you're coming!" Then she was gone.

I pictured Malfoy Manor in my mind and tried to locate Andromeda's mind. I caught hold and got inside. She was in the Manor and was speaking with Narcissa, explaining that something crazy had happened and I needed to speak with her right away. Narcissa shouted a bit before she finally gave in. I detached myself from my sister's thoughts and stepped into the Floo, to meet Narcissa's scowling face. Her glare was harsh but she didn't say anything. Immediately, I got to my knees and apologized for what I had said to her and Andy. She still looked grumpy, but her expression softened dramatically. At least until Andromeda piped in with, "There's a good reason."

I shook my head. "It's no excuse. I need to control my emotions, no matter what condition I'm in." Narcissa must have not thought anything odd of this statement, because she said nothing. This was going to be tougher than I thought. She didn't seem particularly curious, only annoyed, so I knew I shouldn't expect any good questions from her. She obviously thought this was just a big joke.

"Well?" she asked impatiently. "What is this 'important thing' you supposedly need to tell me?"

Andromeda stepped in, thankfully. "Really, Cissy. Don't treat this as one big joke. What Bella has to tell you is life-changing."

She put her hands on her hips. "What is it?" It was clear that she was trying to be concerned, but only came across as cross.

I opened my mouth to speak, but seeing those icy cold eyes made me freeze. I didn't know how to say it. I didn't know how she would react. "Andy, HELP ME! I can't say it!"

"She needs to know, Bella. It was your idea to come here, as well."

"How can I? No matter what, it's going to be awkward!"

"Just say it to me as you said it to Andromeda," said Narcissa while picking at her nails. "And get on with it. I have things to do."

"When I said it to Andromeda, I screamed it in her face." Narcissa shot me a death glare while 'Meda laughed.

"Just offer her a firewhiskey, it'll loosen up her tongue." Despite my dilemma, I couldn't help but giggle. Narcissa frowned.

"She doesn't look drunk at all."

"Nope," said Andromeda. "She's completely sober. She wouldn't touch a drop." We both giggled again, but Narcissa got frustrated.

"Stop speaking in riddles! Just explain to me what in Merlin's name is going on." We both quieted quickly.

"I... can't."

"Bella, tell her yourself or I will." I sighed defeatedly.

With a nod from Andy, I said, "Well, the thing is... it's sort of very shocking, and completely unexpected. We didn't even think it was possible. But the thing is... I'm... I'm..." Andromeda nodded for me to continue, but I felt very odd. There was a strange feeling that suddenly became very familiar as I realized not a second too soon what was about to happen. "I'm... I'm gonna be sick!"

I rushed to the nearest bathroom and emptied the contents of my stomach into the toilet. Footsteps came right behind me, and 'Meda knelt by my side to scoop my hair out of my face while Narcissa scowled.

"What the heck, Bella? What is going on? You choose to puke mid-sentence like that? Just get the stupid words out of your mouth!"

I sighed and leaned up against the wall as Andy flushed the mess down and sat beside me to hold my hand. "Cissy, when in your life have you been sick to your stomach?"

"What kind of question is that?"

"Just answer," I ordered tiredly. She sat on the edge of the tub and rested her hands on her chin in thought.

"Well," she responded," when I've been ill, when I've eaten too much..." she trailed off.

"Continue. Think of anything and everything you can."

"When I've eaten plenty of junk food, when I've been punched in the stomach, when I hung upside-down from a tree."

"Any more?"

"When I've seen blood, when I've been around gross smells or sights... um... oh! When I've had a hangover, and... when I was pregnant with Draco."

"Okay."

She paused. "Well, did I list all that for any particular reason?"

"Bellatrix?" asked Andromeda, helping to move the conversation in the direction she knew I wanted it to go. "I assume one of those reasons applies to you."

"Yes, Andy. Yes, one of them does."

"Narcissa?" Cissy shot words out the end of her wand that floated in the air in a list.

"Fine," Cissy said, "go through the reasons, though none that could apply to Bella would I call 'life-changing.' Unless now you're just talking about something else."

"Oh no," responded Andy, "It's very much the same thing. So Bella, are you ill?"

"Not anymore."

"Does it have anything to do with the way you've been eating?"

"Not at all."

"Did somebody punch you in the stomach?"

"Thank goodness, no." Narcissa seemed to be getting interested, and she took Andy's place in answering the questions.

"Were you upside-down?"

"No."

"I know blood wouldn't upset you."

"Damn right, it wouldn't."

"Watch your language."

"Sorry."

"Has anything grossed you out?"

"Never in my life."

"You don't have a hangover, do you?"

"I've been sober since my wedding."

"Good thing, too, " chimed in Andromeda.

Narcissa rolled your eyes. "Are you trying to tell me that you invented a new way to throw up? Because I don't find that impressive at all, and it's impossible for you to be pregnant."

"Improbable, rather," I corrected. I kept my eyes focused on a corner of a wall, trying to keep my cool.

Narcissa stood up abruptly. "You're not pregnant, Bellatrix?"

No response.

Shock crept into her voice as she repeated, "You're not pregnant, Bellatrix, are you?"

No response.

"Bellatrix! Answer me! Merlin! You can't be!"

My hand flew to hide my eyes as I placed the other on my abdomen. This was really starting to get old and rather embarrassing.

"Bellatrix! No!"

"Yes, Cissy!" exclaimed Andy.

I began to feel claustrophobic in my little corner of the room, so I fled back to the living room and settled myself shakily on the sofa. I pulled up my shirt over my midriff again and peered at my skin, which was just beginning to stretch out. I could hardly picture myself in the future. How would I look in the next months to come? I stroked my slightly swollen tummy as I tried to see myself with an overly large belly, my hips turned out awkwardly, walking slowly and oddly, needing help to sit up in bed or get out of chairs-

"Oh my gosh!" Narcissa was suddenly right beside me staring at my stomach. "How did we not see it before! You've always been so tiny; you're huge compared to normal!" Andromeda caught up, smiling slightly and guided Cissy's hand to rest next to mine. It was very weird. My hand felt a normal temperature to my skin, while Andromeda's was cold and Narcissa's was warm. Not to mention all the movement from inside. It was a very odd sensation.

Narcissa's eyes widened. "Is it... kicking?" Andy and I nodded and Cissy squealed with delight. I rolled my eyes.

Andy smirked at my reaction. "However, the mother-to-be is not nearly as excited." Cissy looked at me like that was the most ridiculous thing on the planet.

I shrugged my shoulders. "I didn't want this."

"The key word is 'didn't,'" giggled Andromeda.

I shrugged my shoulders and glared out the window, trying to keep my temper under control. Damn hormones.

"Ooh... someone's moody," teased Narcissa.

"Damn right, I am!"

Neither of my sisters took offense, but only giggled.

I sighed, rubbing my stomach. "I can still hardly believe it."

"I can!" beamed Andy. "YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE A BABY!" she cheered. I couldn't help but smile at her enthusiasm, though Narcissa looked nervous and tried to quiet her.

"Whoa, Cissy," she replied. "What's wrong?"

"We're not home alone," she hissed.

I froze, one hand on my belly, the other held up defensively. "WHAT? No!"

"Yes!" she hissed.

"Who else is here?"

Narcissa opened her mouth, but was cut off.

"Aunt Bella?" came a disbelieving voice. We all turned slowly.

I brought one hand to my head slowly, marveling at how unlucky I was, as Draco stood in the doorway, wide eyes fixed on the hand that rested on my obviously pregnant belly while standing next to my very slim sisters.

**Uh oh. Draco wasn't supposed to find out yet. Oops. My fault. I just like causing chaos :P**

**Remeber:**

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**I will not write again until I have 20 reviews.**


	6. Chapter 6

**First of all, I must apologize for the late update!**

**Second, I must thank you for the TREMENDOUS amount of reviews! You have no idea how thrilled I was! Please know, I was not disappointed at all. I actually didn't have enough time to finish writing the chapter before I got double the amount requested! Please keep it coming, guys! I love hearing from you! I really do read every single one of your reviews and they mean SO MUCH to me!**

**Thirdly, in your reviews for this chapter, let me know on how you would feel if I illustrated each chapter of the Luckiest and Unlucky. A friend suggested this to me at school after seeing some sketches I made for planning, so I just might get a deviantArt and post some there! :)**

**Without further ado, here is the chapter!**

Poor Draco's face was pale and his eyes were wide. He was shaking violently and was visibly swaying. He was in utter shock, and suddenly, he didn't look much like a man at all. He was just a boy who had heard something that he hadn't needed to hear. If it wasn't me he was shocked at and frightened of, I would have run to him and hugged him comfortingly. It was my first instinct, but his terrified little face made me hold back. Narcissa quickly grasped his trembling arm and helped seat him in a chair. Andy looked sheepishly at the floor.

"Well," I stated as calmly as I could, "that wasn't supposed to happen." Draco continued to stare and Andromeda looked mortified.

"I'm so sorry, Bella," she whimpered. "I didn't know…"

"Of course you didn't Andy, don't be silly. It isn't anyone's fault," I murmured reassuringly, though I was terribly uneasy. "The question is, what are we going to do about it?"

For whatever reason, this made Draco pale to the point where he was whiter than a sheet. "I-I promise! I won't say a word!" he stuttered desperately, and I realized that he feared I was going to torture or kill him for knowing my secret. At this point I could not stand seeing him like this, and rushed to his side. He shrunk back in fear.

"Don't be scared," I said and stroked his hair. "I know you won't, darling. I'm not asking what we will do about _you._ I'm wondering if this means we should tell the rest of the family, seeing as you found out." I mentally slapped myself after the last words came out much harsher than I intended. It really wasn't poor Draco's fault, but that didn't mean I was pleased. My head whipped around to face Cissy. "Nobody else is home?"

"I don't think Lucius is here right now, but I can't be absolutely sure. Draco, is your father home?"

He shook his head "no" vigorously, clearly eager to redeem himself in my eyes.

I sighed in relief. "Good. That makes things a lot less complicated. I don't feel obligated to notify the rest of our family right away." Draco still didn't look quite right, so I asked, "Are you all right?"

"Just a bit… shocked," he responded.

I hesitated. I hadn't been around for most of Draco's life, so I felt the need to make things right between us. "Tell me what you feel. All of your thoughts. I'll try to help you."

"I… don't really know what I'm thinking. I'm sort of numb from disbelief at the moment. I just am … really surprised." His eyes flickered down for a moment, but shot back up, as if he was afraid of either breaking eye contact or looking at the spot where the baby rested inside me.

"There's nothing to be scared of," I said in the gentlest tone I could muster, but terror still flickered in his eyes. "Do you want to feel it kick?" He didn't respond, but his fingers hovered slightly over the arm of his chair. "Come on, it's okay." I stood up and took his uncertain hand to let him feel. He jumped the first time, clearly surprised, but slightly pleased.

"Now?"

"I... I'll be a good cousin."

"I'm sure you will," I responded, smiling, but that moment of panic had drained me, and I slumped into the chair beside him with a heavy sigh, followed by a yawn.

Eyebrows scrunched, Andy said, "You're tired."

"Way to state the obvious," I mumbled.

"Time to go home," ordered Narcissa. "I'll light the Floo."

I tuned to Draco one last time. "Remember, please. Don't mention it to anyone except your mother, aunt, and the Dark Lord. Not until I say. Okay?"

He nodded, and hesitantly hugged me. I was taken by surprise, but pleased by the gesture. I kissed my sisters on the cheek and stepped into the Floo, knowing that the road ahead was not going to be an easy one, and I was nearing bumps. Voldemort had not taken our last conversation well, and I was nervous about what our next chat might be. I took one look behind at my family before they disappeared from view.

I blinked blindly as my eyes adjusted to the new light. It took a moment for me to focus in the dimly lit room before I saw a figure pacing back and forth and red eyes turned towards me.

My heart jumped and I rushed towards him, almost knocking him down with the force, and I clutched desperately at his robes, finally letting my feelings of fear and desperation pour out. I felt completely helpless as I sobbed pathetically into his chest. I had not even expected to cry, but just seeing him brought on fresh emotions that I could not control. Tears splattered his robes like rain. He did not speak, and I was glad for it. I didn't want to be comforted. I didn't want to be told that everything would be all right. I didn't want to hear the optimistic side of things. I just wanted to cry, and he let me wail. For the longest time, we stood there, and when he moved and cried even harder, thinking that he was growing impatient with me. But he wasn't. He stroked my hair gently and then picked me up like I was a fragile doll, carrying me to the bedroom and onto the bed. I shivered at the loss of contact of his arms as he set me down and I heard the the rustle of clothes, meaning that he was changing. Soon, his arms were around me once more, and I felt myself running out of tears, his tenderness absorbing them away.

As my eyes dried, I opened them for the first time. "Didn't I say not to be worried?" I knew the pacing could only be from that.

"I couldn't help it. It's not every day that you find out your wife is pregnant, you pass out, and when you wake up, she's gone."

"I left a note!" I exclaimed defensively.

"I know," he responded as he studied my face. "But now I'm so worried about you that I'm afraid of you leaving my side."

I managed a small smile and traced his lips with the tips of my fingers.

"You need sleep," he stated suddenly. I began to protest. "If not for yourself, than the baby. You did decide to keep it, after all."

I stopped. "You don't want to?" I felt dizzy from the thought. What if he would rather have the baby be dead? To what extent could he and would he go to make it that way?

"Bella," he said, choosing his words carefully. "I won't pretend that it was our intention to have a child. But if you want it, I will let you have it and be the father you want me to be."

"You, a father?" I laughed jokingly, but his face was serious.

"I promise to try my best." He paused. "I'm sure you'll be a wonderful-" but he choked on his words, and suddenly he seemed vulnerable as well. I could see fear that matched mine in his own eyes.

I grasped his hands. "We can do it." I was filled with new strength. "We are the most powerful man and woman to ever live. We can handle a baby. I know it." He squeezed his eyes shut and nodded. "You know it, too. We'll pull through. And we won't just survive. We will conquer. We will rule the world and have a beautiful son or daughter by our side," I said fiercely. Even though I could still see the regret and fear etched into his features, there was a glimmer of new hope as well.

"You're right," he said. "As usual. I'm acting like a foolish child." I tried to stifle a yawn, but he saw. "Bed. Now."

"Fine," I grumbled, but I was actually eager to get some rest. It had been a long, suspenseful day with many surprises. Which reminded me...

"Oh!" I exclaimed, suddenly not feeling tired anymore. "As you've probably guessed, Andy and Cissy know."

"I figured that much."

"Unfortunately, so does Draco. He won't tell a soul, but I thought you might just like to know..."

"I don't care who you tell within the family at what time. That's your decision. As for letting the Death Eaters know, that's a different story. We'll have to figure out when the time is right. Or not say anything at all, just let them put two and two together when they see you getting bigger."

"Ugh," I groaned. "Can't we just hide it from them?"

"They are bound to find out, anyways. I'm sure at least one of them is a spy, but I can't weed the traitor out. I don't think there's a chance of the public actually believing them, though. We can avoid rumors by having you appear in public, as well."

I raised my eyebrows in confusion. "What? Won't that make it obvious?"

"Not if we use Polyjuice Potion and send one of your non-pregnant sisters out."

"Oh."

At this time, Voldemort finished helping me remove my robes. I looked at the mirror beside me, running my hand over my stomach. I said in disbelief, "It's amazing we didn't notice before now. I'm huge."

"Actually you're not. You're really on the smaller side for someone who's four months along."

I frowned in concentration. "Maybe, but compared to normal, I'm not. You'd think I would have noticed when changing or bathing."

"You never looked very carefully. At the time, you were more concerned with your illness." He lightly traced my stomach with his fingers, and I shivered happily. He looked up in surprise.

"It feels good," I admitted, resting my own hand there. "When anyone touches it. But yours most of all. I think it recognizes you. It kicks more."

"Doesn't it hurt?"

"Not at all. It's pretty gentle, at least at the moment. I don't know how it will be when it gets stronger." I snuggled under the covers, appreciating the warmth.

Suddenly, Voldemort spoke. "What do think it'll be?" I looked up in surprise.

"Huh?" I asked, confused.

"Do you think the baby will be a boy, or a girl?"

I was startled. "I haven't really thought about it," I admitted. "It didn't come up in the conversation today. I really couldn't guess."

"What do want it to be?"

"I... don't know. I don't want one over the other. Do you have a preference?"

"A boy," he stated without hesitation, and then zoned out. He was obviously thinking very hard about something, and I was trying to think of what it could be. Suddenly it clicked.

"Have you tracked down Harry Potter yet?"

"What?" He was broken out of his thoughts and looked surprised to hear the question.

"Have you found him?"

"You're worried about _that_ right now? After everything that's going on, you want to know about _Harry Potter_?" he asked incredulously.

"Of course. It's important to you."

"Well, we're on his trail, but we haven't quite caught up yet."

"You'll catch him. I know it."

"Me too," he smirked.

"I want to be included again. Please take me to the next meeting, whatever condition I'm in. I want to know what's going on."

"Bella," he said, concerned, "that is the last thing you need. We can't get you stressed out-"

"Yes! I need to be included!" I exclaimed angrily. "Don't you see? I need to do this! Do you think I want our child growing up in a world of Mudbloods? We need to make the world right!" I wasn't mad at him, though. The fury came from Mudbloods and Blood Traitors, but everything was becoming so complicated. I remembered now that some of my own family were Mudbloods and Blood Traitors and my heart sank with this realization.

Pride was shining in his eyes. "You're right. Again. I shouldn't keep you away from this, especially not in dark times like these. For now, you deserve to be there, and when it gets too dangerous, then I'll make sure you stay informed." He brought his hand hesitantly to my face and stroked it gently, still unsure of himself after all this time we had been together. I kissed it gently.

My eyes began to droop, but before I drifted off, I heard, "You are my beautiful, smart Bellatrix. I should learn to put more of my faith in you."

**If you didn't read the Author's note above, please read it now! :)**


	7. Chapter 7

**So, I got many yes's, and no no's, so I will be illustrating my series. I hope lined paper doesn't piss anyone off too much, because I never have printer paper in the house (sorry) :) It will just be black and white, in pencil, but I'm really not the best artist, and the point of these is just to show you a little bit of what is going on in my brain :) I don't know how quickly I'll get them out, because I do have a lot to do with them, but here is the link to my new and only DeviantArt. Take out the spaces. There is nothing out yet, but you might want to check there every now and then. I'll also post the link on my profile. I'll try to notify everyone whenever I put up new art.**

**http : / darkpiratenellie. deviantart . com /  
**

"We have to tell them. Today. Now." Voldemort just raised his eyebrows and closed the book he was reading. Leaning back in his chair, he put his fingers to his chin thoughtfully.

"Bellatrix..." he started hesitantly, but did not continue.

"Look. If I was small before, I'm not any longer. I can't hide it from my own family anymore. I miss them," I said pleadingly. It was true, however. Less than a month ago, you could barely tell I was expecting, but now I could barely hide it with the loose-fitting and baggy clothing that I now wore frequently. Not to mention that I got odd looks from people, especially Lucius, by my sudden change in wardrobe when I went to the first and only Death Eater meeting we had had since. The hug I had given him was done in a flash, and I was extremely careful to not let my expanding stomach touch him, giving me away. Unfortunately, it only made things more awkward between us, and I hadn't paid a visit or invited anyone over in quite some time, except Cissy and Andromeda. And Draco, on one short occasion, who thankfully seemed less nervous around me than the last time.

"It's just such a sudden decision. Are you sure this isn't just one of those weird mood swings?" he asked cautiously.

"Would you think I was pregnant if I didn't tell you?"

He looked at me. I was wearing my loosest shirt today, and its design pulled eyes away from the belly, but it still wasn't hiding it very well. His eyes wandered around my swollen belly, and he admitted, "Yes. If you sat down and stayed still, I would only think something was a little bit off, but when you move around, it is pretty obvious."

"Then we have to tell them. Before they find out themselves. I don't know what to do about the Death Eaters yet, but the family needs to know."

"Can we even do that at this point?" he asked. "The second they walk in, they'll know. And if not then, when they hug you. They will hug you. They haven't seen you in over a month."

I smirked. "That's why you're going to tell them before they get here."

"No, Bella. I can't do that. They need to see you. They want to hear it from you."

"Well, you have to," I said crossly, "unless you can think of another way."

He rolled his eyes, and they stayed locked to the ceiling as he thought. Suddenly, his face lit up with an idea. He pulled me onto his lap and kissed my forehead. "How about this? You'll be sitting down when they come in. That way they won't see darling Voldemort Jr. and know right away." I giggled, and he pulled me closer, putting a soft hand over the spot where "Voldemort Jr." rested. "I'll say that you haven't been feeling well, and you don't want to get them sick, but you missed them and wanted to see them. Just in case they still want to hug you, I'll put an enchantment in the general area to make them not want to go towards you. Then they'll sit down, we'll chat for a while, and you'll give the signal by squeezing my hand. I'll say that we have an announcement to make, and you'll tell everyone the news. At that moment, the enchantment will be broken at the words 'We're going to have a baby,' and your family can come and give hugs and congratulations." He looked at me smugly as I stared with wide eyes and open mouth.

"You thought of absolutely everything," I gasped.

"Yes. I did. Are you honestly that surprised? I'm the Dark Lord."

"Oh. Well in that case, that is only normal for the Dark Lord. After all, His Amazing Spectacular Majesty always has a clever answer, agreed, O Great One?"

He only smirked and shook his head as we stood up, and then he twirled to Disapparate as I tried to get rid of my nerves and seated myself. I made sure to adjust the fabric in a way that made it look like I was only wearing a loose shirt. It still ballooned out slightly, but nobody would notice unless they were looking for it. If I kept my hands on my lap, it would be completely impossible to tell.

I tried to distract myself with the odd creaks and banging that I heard from somewhere in the house, but my mind kept wandering back to what I would have to do. I could barely focus enough to think that the books must be flying around in the library again.

In a few moments, he was back.

"Voldemort," I said urgently. My hands were trembling violently.

"Bellatrix, it'll be fine," he insisted, gripping my hands firmly. "You've fought battles. Once, you dueled six strong powerful men at once, and killed them all without getting a scratch yourself."

"You saw that? You were battling with Dumbledore at the time."

"You saw that? You were battling with six people at once." I couldn't help but laugh. "You have nothing to fear. Your family adores you. They'll be happy. Who's going to win, little scared Bellatrix, or battle-strong Bellatrix? You only have to say three little words." He stood up. "They'll be here any minute. I've already said that you are sick."

"With what?"

"They didn't ask. It's up to you." He stepped back and examined me before adjusting the fabric himself. Now, the shape of my stomach was completely undetectable. He finished not a moment too soon, because the doorbell rang right after he stood up. In moments, Narcissa, Lucius, and Draco were sitting across from me, closely followed by Andromeda, Lupin, and Tonks. Tonks was bigger now. She looked about five or six months along, and her face was glowing with happiness. I didn't know what had happened, but Lupin now looked content and relaxed. Apparently, he was now pleased with the fact he was going to get a new addition to the family.

"You look wonderful," I said softly, hoping that I could be that happy at some point. Her smile grew even larger, but her eyes seemed to linger over my face. What was she searching for?

It was hard not to laugh at Andromeda and Narcissa. They kept exchanging huge grins and knowing looks, eyes wide with excitement and anticipation.

Eager to break the silence and their obvious excitement, I asked, "Where's Ted?"

"Working," said Andromenda. "He's been horribly busy lately." At least the wild grin was off her face as she said this, but it returned quickly afterwards.

"How are you?" asked Lucius, who seemed to not care about our last meeting. "The Dark Lord said you've been sick?"

"Am," I said.

"The dragon fever is back?" he asked, alarmed.

"No, it's been gone for months. It's just a weird stomach thing." It wasn't entirely untrue. I wasn't vomiting anymore, but I still felt nauseous at some times.

The silence killed me bit by bit. Even though the others looked at ease, chatting casually and being friendly despite differences, I felt awkward and out of place. I tried to catch Voldemort's eye, but he was calmly looking at everyone else. I gripped his hand for support, but I didn't realize the mistake I had made until he stood up.

I had accidentally given him the signal.

I wasn't ready.

_No! _I screamed into his mind, but he was already standing, and our guests were looking at him with curiosity.

He looked at me, panicking and shaking my head, but they were waiting.

_I could try to cover it up by offering food or drinks,_ he thought.

But I knew it wouldn't work. He had stood with such purpose and confidence, and now I had to do the same.

The choice was hard, but I squeezed his hand again, and his eyes met mine in surprise. _Go on. I'll do it._

And then my baby kicked. It had been rather still today, but now I felt it clearly. It gave me just the little confidence I needed to go through with it.

"Although we wanted to see everyone today, we didn't just invite you here to chat. We have an announcement to make." Voldemort spoke confidently and calmly, and I admired his bravery, the bravery I was lacking. He offered me his hand, and I took it, surprised at the extra effort that it now took to stand up.

As I imagined, Andromeda's and Narcissa's shining eyes were glued to my stomach. Draco was also staring, and to my amazement, so was Tonks. Somehow, she had put two and two together and was looking at my rounded belly with realization and delight. The men of course, were clueless.

The nerves were washed away with emotion. I squeezed Voldemort's hand tightly, and pressed the other against my stomach and my voice was finally clear and confident as my husband and child gave me the strength I needed to say, "We're going to have a baby."

They all rushed towards me, and I fell into Voldemort's arms, feeling relieved and maybe even happy. He kissed me full on the mouth, right in front of the family, and I began to think that something had given him confidence as well.

The room was in delighted chaos. Cissy and Andy were shrieking, "I knew you'd say it! Right when he came, I knew!" Draco was looking away, rather embarrassed about the kiss. Tonks had her hands on my expanding tummy and kissed my cheek, babbling about how excited she was and how wonderful everything was going to be. Lucius hugged me tightly, remarking on how it all made sense now and he was happy for us. Lupin shyly offered his congratulations and gave a quick hug. Then, the room was buzzing with loads of conversation, hands all over my belly, and lots of laughing and cheerfulness.

But if there was one person who looked out of place, it was Voldemort, looking lost in all the joy. He stood back silently and watched with worried eyes and fists clenched tight. When I brushed my lips against his jaw, it seemed to comfort him, but letting him place his hand on my stomach made him only seem nervous and slightly upset.

What really stuck with me, was that I might not be as upset about this as I thought at first, and Voldemort might not be as brave.

**Please read Author's Notes at top :)**


	8. Chapter 8

**If you were wondering, Bellatrix is about six months pregnant by now.**

**Contrary to what I said in my last update, the illustrations will be on printer paper. I saved up and bought my own package and hid it so nobody in my family can eat it up. :)**

**Sorry, but there are no pictures yet, seeing as I have to redo the pictures that I already had done on lined paper. :)**

**I also noticed that I didn't get many reviews last chapter, and I'm worried that maybe not many people read it yet because of the quick update. Please read it before reading this chapter. Have fun. And review.**

Short and panicked breaths came from my partly parted lips, and sweat coated my hairline and fingers.

**Read the last chapter if you haven't yet! Sorry for the interruption, but really. It's important to read it!**

My hands were pressed against the rough stone, leaving pain and pricks of blood, but I was too stressed to care. I had a much deeper fear and concern right that moment.

"I can't do this," I said in a strained whisper. I could her the rowdy men in the next room, men I had dueled and defeated countless times, and I still could not face them.

His head slowly turned and the scarlet eyes bore into mine, leaving me with shivers. "You can. You said that last time, and you were wrong. You were fine, and you will be fine. Besides, we have it all planned out this time. You'll be ready."

I felt beads of sweat on my forehead, but my hands were stuck to the wall like magnets. I could not move to brush the droplets away, and they ran into my eyes, stinging them.

"It's not only them I'm scared of. It's the rest. The news will get out. The whole world will know."

"What worries you about that?"

"It just doesn't feel right. I just... don't like it."

He sighed impatiently. "Look, Bellatrix, there's a chance it won't get out. It's not important to the war, and not every wizard likes to gossip."

"Most do. I do."

"Whatever spy has gotten into the ranks has only revealed battle plans, nothing personal. Nobody outside of Death Eaters knew we were married until someone spotted your ring. They probably will be even less concerned with this news." My stomach stopped churning, but my hands were still glued to the wall and the rest of me was shaking. Voldemort looked at me with slight concern and kissed me lightly on the lips before gliding into the hall and clapping for silence. My nerves subdued as I peered around the doorframe with interest.

"I need full attention and cooperation today. NO talking out; I need all concentration. We need to organize further action against the Potter boy and the Order, and the Dark Lady and I have important news to share."

"Where is the Dark Lady, my Lord?"

There was a flash of light and a short cry of pain.

"Didn't I just say no interruptions, you fool?"

"Terribly sorry, my Lord. All apologies are due. I was merely concerned-"

"Silence."

There was another flash of light, this time green, and a pause. I frowned, sensing that he was in somewhat of a bad mood, which seemed odd because he had seemed quite pleased earlier in the day. "She will be along shortly, but it is none of your business." He glared at them so sternly that even I felt the urge to shrink back from him. He called out, "Bellatrix? Are you ready to begin the meeting?"

My nails dug into my palms as one last bead of sweat formed on my forehead and I spoke, "Of course."

I held my head up high and walked as regally into the room as possible. My cloak was designed perfectly hide my particularly large belly well enough so that the clueless men wouldn't suspect a thing, but I still felt the awkward bulge and weight of it. However, it seemed to be working well, because none of the men looked suspicious. Lucius actually looked in shock from this outstanding disguise. He blinked his eyes rapidly, obviously wondering how we had managed to cover it up so well. Even my own sisters would have had trouble, but this cloak had taken all the time it was worth. We had worked endlessly, adjusting and readjusting to the point of near perfection, so that the cloak looked like nothing more than an extremely thick and loose traveling cloak over a regular sized stomach.

Voldemort raised his hands for attention, but it was not necessary, seeing as his little display towards the Death Eater who spoke out had gotten them all nervous. I realized that this was the newest Death Eater that we had just taken on. I believed his name was Mently, or something like that. It wasn't as if anyone had cared about him anyways. He had been extremely ordinary, with dusty brown hair, a slightly overweight body, and a complexion of freckles, accompanied by his lacking skills in dueling, healing, and detection spells. We had brought him in, hoping he would improve, but that had not happened before his not so unfortunate death.

"First of all, I would like to stress the importance of turning the rest of the Wizarding community against Potter. We have Snatchers about, looking for him, so the best thing each of you can do is to convince anyone you can that Potter will bring about the end of all balance in our universe. We must stop him, so take these words not only to your friends, but to yourselves, as well. We have had him slip through our fingers too many times. Every single one of you has always been expected to give one hundred percent of your effort, but now, if you fail to do so, you will be not just severely punished, but possibly killed, painfully.

"Later in this meeting, we will discuss our newest plans to kill Potter, but first, Bellatrix and I have an important and possibly shocking announcement to make. As you know, I am the heir of Slytherin, and proud of my bloodline."

At this, I struggled to pull myself out of my chair, and turned and removed my cloak, keeping my back to the Death Eaters, but tuning my face towards them. They looked mostly bored and impatient, but Lucius now sat up straight in his chair and looked at me questioningly. I gave one small nod of my head, and he slouched backwards, a small smirk on his face as he whispered something to Draco, who widened his eyes in return and turned his attention away from Mently's corpse, and onto me.

"Bellatrix is descended from the most noble Blacks, the family of purest blood. As you know, there is not one confirmed impurity in the history of the Black family, so Bellatrix and her sisters are possibly the only true purebloods in the world.

"Both the purity of the Black family and the line of Slytherin must be preserved, and as a result-" I turned slowly and there were stifled gasps.

"We have decided to produce an heir, as you can clearly see."

I briefly and lightly rested my hand on my ballooning stomach, but not lovingly. It was a quick touch followed by a slight nod of the head as Voldemort signaled for applause. The men politely clapped, and now that the surprise had ebbed away, their faces became blank and bored once more. I let out a relieved breath as Voldemort helped me seat myself in my chair and pulled my cloak around my shoulders. I was glad that this had not become a huge piece of news to them, only a bit of information that they honestly had no interest in, only a bit of surprise. I was felt slightly uneased, though. Voldemort seemed to be rather distant and impassive, and although it was agreed that we would pretend we were only having the baby to continue noble bloodlines, it gave me chills.

"Continuing with our plans, I would like to review over our knowledge of Potter's whereabouts. As you know, we originally thought that he was traveling with both the Mudblood girl and the Weasley boy, but it is now confirmed that the Weasley boy is not with them, and we no longer need to consider him as a major threat, though he will still be punished if caught.

"Potter and the Mudblood decided to take a nice little trip to Godric's Hollow. The sentimental fool decided to return to his place of birth on Christmas Eve. There, he paid a visit to the corpse of Bathilda Bagshot, who was really Nagini in disguise. There, he sought out more information concerning Dumbledore, and Nagini did her job perfectly, but the boy managed to escape because of luck and his dirty Mudblood girlfriend. However, do not let this upset you. We came closest to defeating him than ever before in recent times, so expect to catch up with him soon.

"I have new guarding positions for all of you, so sit quietly and I will come around to describe each of your jobs." He turned around after he finished, but the room remained silent, as ordered.

"You look a bit exhausted. Do you want to go home?" he asked. Something didn't seem right about about the question; it lacked sincerity and had less concern than it should have, but I couldn't really object. I was in need of a nice nap.

"If you wouldn't mind, I think I might."

"Good. I'll be back soon enough. This shouldn't take all too long."

"I wouldn't imagine so." I gave him a quick peck, but he seemed distracted, so I Flooed myself home in a disappointed manner.

When I stepped out of the fireplace, something seemed terribly wrong that I could not place my finger on. The house seemed unnaturally cold and a empty in a way. The inviting breeze that often drifted through the windows in an inviting way seemed empty and sent shivers running down the nape of my neck. My baby squirmed around inside, almost as if it was unable to find a comfortable position. I wasn't very comfortable myself, so I tried to relax in a soft chair, realizing that I wouldn't be able to sleep until Voldemort got home to help shake this miserable feeling away.

Lost in thought, pictures of the meeting swirled through my head, and for some reason, I just kept seeing all the things that were not very nice. Happy moments, like our kiss before the meeting, did not even come to my mind. I kept seeing that cold, passive look on his face, and the uncertainty in his eyes. I felt the barrier of his mind locking me out.

I was jolted away from these unpleasant memories by a shuffling noise on an upper floor. Tracing this sound to the library, I distracted my self by heading towards there to fix the books that must be flying. Panting at the extra effort it now took to get up the stairs, I reached the door and cautiously pushed it open. By this time, the rattling had stopped, but I only spotted a few books on the floor, so the rest must have flown back to a shelf. I raised my wand and uttered the incantation that returned them to their proper place, but only the ones on the floor moved. The books on the shelves were already back in place. Or they had never been moved.

Chills ran up my spine. Something just didn't feel right. I looked around the room, searching for something out of place, but part of my anxiety vanished as I spotted Voldemort in the doorway.

"Is it just me, or is it a bit cold in here?" I asked. He didn't acknowledge the question, but looked at me curiously. "You know, I didn't even hear your footsteps. I think the books are flying again, but most of them are making back to their shelves. Odd, isn't it?"

Voldemort's mouth remained shut, but he stepped closer to me and drew something out of his pocked. I shivered. The room had gotten even colder.

"What's that?"

He slowly uncurled his fingers to reveal a beautiful knife. It had a dangerously sharp point and a beautiful emerald handle embezzled with silver snakes and diamonds.

"Wow," I breathed. "It's gorgeous. Where ever did you get it?"

He did not respond. He simply raised it above his head, and I gasped as the jewels glittered in the reddish light of the setting sun. The knife seemed to be glinting blood red. It seemed so unnatural. I had never seen such unusual, yet threatening beauty.

I repeated the question. "Where did it come from?" But this time, he just stepped closer, too close, to the point where it made me nervous and uncomfortable. I now trembled violently from the icy cold, and tried to back up, but there was a wall behind me. He took another step. "Voldemort?" Now I could feel his breath, and the way he breathed made me feel as if every breath made the room resemble the Arctic further.

His grip tightened and my eyes widened, my hands flying too slowly around my round stomach.

I watched him drive the blade down with incredible force and speed, past my forehead, almost brushing my nose, below my neck, past my chest. The beautiful snakes hissed in unison with my screams as the point punctured my tightly stretched skin and the knife glinted again in the sun.

The knife that killed my baby.

**Believe me, I hate the events of this chapter as much, if not more, than you.**

**This is not the end. There is much more to go.**


	9. Chapter 9

**I wasn't cruel enough to leave you wondering for a long time after what I did to Bella. Both you and her deserve some answers. So here we go.**

My baby was dying, if not already dead, and there was nothing I could do about it.

I was possibly dying, myself.

I saw the knife come down. I saw it stab my belly, where my beautiful child was inside. I saw him withdraw it, covered in blood. I saw crimson stain the floor. I saw the ground rush up to meet me. I saw the pool of blood come from between my legs and mix with the ruby droplets that fell from the blade almost as fast as my tears fell from my eyes.

But I felt no physical pain.

The hurt I felt inside my heart was so strong, that it completely overpowered the pain of the stab. If I couldn't see the blood, I wouldn't have known what I was sobbing for. All I could think, though, was _My baby is dead. My unborn child will never be born. He killed it. Us._

And then came the questions. _Why has he done this? What did he accomplish? Why does he hate his own child? Was he really so desperate to not have a girl that he killed the child, just in case it was female? How could he do this to me? Didn't he know how important this was to me? Does he know that his child is dead, but I might die too?_

_Did he ever love me?_

Once upon a time _I_ loved _him_, but the second he turned on me, it switched to pure hatred. I wanted him as dead as our baby was.

His face made me cry even harder. It wasn't angry, threatening, sorrowful, or even joyful. There was nothing. It was as if he wore a blank mask. He showed no emotions. He didn't care about anything.

I wailed helplessly as the pool of blood grew to cover the whole corner of the room, and began to flow past shelves of books. I knew that I would die now. It was coming from all over. It ran out from the gash in my stomach, flowed from between my legs, and dripped steadily from the blade that was still held high.

Did I even care?

What did I have to live for? My baby was dead. Voldemort had killed my child and was ready to let me die. There was no purpose to life any longer.

I thought of Narcissa. Andromeda. Tonks.

Draco.

That snapped me out of it. I could still see little Draco's excited face, him telling me "I'll be a good cousin."

I knew I had to try.

The blade was long, but there was still the chance that it hadn't touched the baby, only cut me. I had to survive, try to save my child if it wasn't too late. It was strong. There was still a chance. It wasn't impossible.

Only improbable.

My tears still flowed like rain, and screams still poured from my mouth, but I tried to stop the blood. I put my hands on the wound and pressed hard on it, not even lifting them for a second to spot the red stains that would now be on my palms. I saw a small trickle continue, but I was stopping the main flow from my stomach. As for the internal bleeding, there was nothing I could do. Maybe if I lost too much blood and died, the child would survive long enough to be cut out of me. It was strong, so maybe it could live.

It was only highly improbable, not impossible.

I screamed no longer for myself, but to him. I shouted "Fuck you! I hate you! Why did you do this? You won't win!" It seemed to have no affect on him, but it helped to soothe the pain in my chest. He looked at me with the same curious eyes he had given me before.

My attempts weren't working. The blood had stopped for a little bit, but it had started to flow even heavier than before. I felt weaker, numbed by the knowledge that there was no hope.

It was impossible. My baby and I, we were both going to die.

I closed my eyes, not able to stand looking at the red any longer. I embraced the darkness that I knew would have come soon anyways, and allowed myself to slip away.

_"Bellatrix?"_ The voice was like an echo, far away. It was Voldemort's voice. He must be checking to see if I was dead. I never wanted to hear his voice again, so I drowned it out with louder shrieks and more cursing at him.

"Bellatrix!" This time the voice was closer, and not as echoing.

Then there was nothing but my own screaming until-

"_Riddickulus!"_

My eyes snapped open and I was terribly confused. Voldemort was still standing above me with his expressionless face and dripping knife, but behind him...

Stood Voldemort.

And the Voldemort holding the knife was beginning to melt away, like wax in incredible heat. Even though I had told myself I despised him, I could not stand to watch the flesh drip off his bones like ice cream on a hot day, but as he melted, he didn't end as a puddle; he completely vanished. The blood that had spilled from my wound and from inside was becoming lighter and misty, and this pink smoke faded away.

I looked down at my tummy and rubbed my hand over it in disbelief.

There was no wound.

There never had been.

Suddenly, the real Voldemort was right by my side, kissing my hands and pulling me in, but it was all too much. I backed away shakily as he stared with concerned eyes.

"No... You killed it. I saw you. Get back. I- I-"

He had emotions on his face. Sadness and concern. I stopped backing away.

"Wha-What happened? I don't understand! I thought you..."

"You thought I killed our child."

"Y-Yes." He looked disappointed and hurt, and I felt guilt tug at me. Even so, I was still getting over the shock and I glanced down one more time to make sure everything was all right. "You didn't do it?"

"No."

"But you have no idea how relieved I am. I found out... I really do care, Voldemort. I want this baby."

"I know you do. In some odd way, so do I."

I was too weak to smile. I ran my hand over the spot where the wound had been. My hands were pale, not one spot of crimson on them. I finally began to relax, realizing that my child was safe. I was safe. It had all been fake.

"How did you know what was going on?" I asked, nudging a bit closer. Now, all of the sudden, I felt safer close to him, rather than far away.

"I don't know exactly what happened," he said. "When I came in, I heard noises from up here, so I came to fix the books. I thought they were flying again, but I realized halfway up that you were crying and screaming, so I ran up right away and I saw myself holding a bloody knife and you clutching your stomach. I put two and two together and discovered that it was a boggart."

I owed him an explanation as well. I told him, "When I came home, something didn't feel right, so I decided to wait for you to come home before going to bed. I heard some banging and shuffling up here, so I came into the room, and tried fixing the books, but most were already in the right place. Then you- well, the boggart- came in holding a knife. I thought you had bought or stolen it and wanted to just show me, but you stabbed my stomach. But this means we haven't been hearing the books shuffling around. All along it was just a boggart." I shook my head. "I feel so stupid." My voice was still slightly shaky and my hands were trembling.

"I wouldn't say stupid, but I'm shocked that you would ever think that I would do something like that."

"I was confused and shocked. It didn't seem at all like you, but everything tied together. The way you get nervous every time we talk about the baby. The bad mood you were in today. You being so determined that it must be a boy and a girl would be disastrous. The fact that you sent me home early. And you've been blocking me out of your mind. I can feel it. I know now that you didn't murder the baby, but why have you been like this?"

He sighed and pulled me onto his lap. "Those are a lot of reasons and I have an explanation for each of them, though you may not like every one. I'm nervous about the baby, simply because I'm nervous about having a child to take care of. I'm not the ideal father. No matter what words I hear from you or anyone else, I won't believe I'm doing a good job until I can see it myself, but that won't be until a few more months anyways. As for my bad mood, I was merely upset with Mently. He was never a very good servant.

"Yes I want the baby to be a boy, but I could never kill it for being a girl," he continued. "I'm keeping my fingers crossed, but I could never hurt it, not if that would hurt you.

"And as for me being so sercretive... you're really not going to like this."

"What?" I stood up and put my hands on my hips, trying to look challenging, but really feeling a bit nervous.

He looked away. "I arranged to have more guards around the mansion. It's not that I don't trust you to take care of yourself, but I can't help but be worried about you."

I couldn't help but smile a bit. "I'm not mad about the guards. In fact, I'm a little bit flattered. I'm only mad that you kept it from me. I deserve to know."

"Of course. I'm so sorry I didn't tell you. That scare a few minutes ago wouldn't have happened if I had."

"I know."

"How mad are you?" he asked.

"You'll find out, eventually, when I get even." I said with a grin.

He raised his eyebrows and I giggled, but my smirk faded abruptly.

"Oh my Merlin," I said in a panicked voice.

"What?" he asked anxiously.

"Oh no. Oh no no no no no... The baby's coming."

He looked about ready to faint. "No! It can't be! You have three months to go."

I winced, eyes squeezing shut, as I clutched my stomach desperately. "I can't do anything about it. It's coming; what do we do?"

"It's coming?" he repeated, paling and taking a step forward.

"It's coming."

"Really?" he asked fearfully, and his terrified face got very close, just right...

"No," I laughed, swinging my hand up from my tummy, and I punched him in the face. "I just got even, though."

He massaged his cheek, looking both very relieved and annoyed. "Ow," he hissed. "That wasn't funny. I thought the baby was actually about to be born. Not to mention that that hurt."

"Think of it as revenge for both the guards and the hours of excruciating pain I'll have to go through when the baby really is born. Especially with no Healers."

"What?"

"Hm?" I asked, raising my eyebrows.

"No Healers? Why ever not?"

"Because we have taken control of the Ministry, but St. Mungo's is a mess. The Healers would literally die before helping someone on our side. That's why we can't get tests and things or find out the gender of our baby. We don't have the right instruments, and I'd rather not know than go to a Muggle hospital. So the baby will be born here, and Narcissa, Andromeda, and Tonks will help out. And you."

"Me?"

"Yes, you," I said firmly.

"Fine. I was always planning on being there, but I can't say I'll give much help. There's not much I can do."

"I'll just need your support."

"I think I can manage."

"Good." I thought for a moment before bringing up what might be a sensitive topic.

"Have you thought of any names yet?" I asked, but something was wrong. He had a glossy look in his eyes, like he was lost is space. I tried calling out to him, but it had no effect until a few minutes later when he shook his head and came back to me.

"What was that?" I demanded. He had a look of disgust on his face.

"I just saw into Potter's head," he snarled.

"What was he doing?"

"That's the worst part. I didn't even learn anything important. He was just lying in a tent. I got into his mind just to see him lounge around in a tent. What a waste." He shook his head in disgust again.

"Well, right now it must have been awful, but I bet it will be useful at some point. You may learn important information." He nodded, but I realized something. "Wait! If you saw what he was seeing, did he see what you were seeing? He'll know we're having a baby!"

"No. He won't. I wasn't looking at you at the time. Just be careful from this point on, just in case he can see what I'm seeing. Try to stay out of my sight if it happens again."

I sighed. "Okay. I got pretty worried."

"Me too. I don't want him to hurt you while trying to get to me. Potter is just an average boy, but he has luck on his side. And that is what makes the brat dangerous, even deadly. Good fortune is sometimes all a person needs."

"I know. I'll be careful."

Finally, my mood was beginning to get better, but something tragic was about to happen.

The fireplace suddenly lit up with tall emerald flames, and Narcissa stumbled out.

"Cissy!" I cried in delight, but halted when I saw her cheeks wet with tears. "Cissy, what's the matter? What happened?"

"It's awful, Bella, so awful... and she hates us now! She always will!" she stuttered in dismay. "And he's gone... gone forever!"

"Who's gone, Cissy? Did someone leave? Who hates us?"

"Andromeda! She has a right to! It's our faults! Our side did it!"

Goosebumps ran up my arms, and Voldemort pulled me close as she fell to her knees in despair. "What did we do?" I whispered urgently. "Who was affected?"

"Him. Andromeda... her husband."

"What about him?"

"Ted. Ted Tonks."

"What? Cissy, please, what happened to him?"

"Gone."

My breath caught in my throat as I heard the words I had been praying not to hear, but still knowing that I would.

"Dead."

**I'm so sorry. Unlike Bella and her baby, Ted really is dead. I really hate killing off characters, but I had to do it, both for the plot and to make the story more realistic. I tried to avoid making it awful by not allowing Ted many appearances, but yes, it is still sad. Remember, my AU's happen for a reason, in this case, the whole reason that Bellatrix is married to Voldemort and pregnant is because of one little action that Rodolphus did not take part in: giving up, and therefore, he died. But some things would not really change. There will be a battle; there is no way for Bella and Voldy to avoid it. The conflict is still there between the two sides. Some characters will die, even if at a different time for a different reason, as did Ted. Please understand. :(**

**On a happy note, I have begun to upload illustrations! So far, I have the two first chapters of The Luckiest, plus its title page. I can not guarantee a steady pace of uploads, so be patient. I will do the best I can while also balancing story updates. Visit my page here (but remove spaces): http :/ /darkpiratenellie .deviantart. com/**

**There is also a link from my profile page.**

**Thankfully, Bella and her baby are not dead, at least! :) I'm not sure whether I could have actually done that or not! I suppose I could have... but did I want to? No. :)**


	10. Chapter 10

**New chapter :) No new pictures. :( I've been getting lots of ideas lately, adding to future chapters, etc. Expect some pictures when I get a not-so-rare case of writer's block :)**

"How?" I breathed. "Was he ... killed?" She nodded slowly, eyes shut tight, tears threatening to leak from the corners. "Cissy, I swear, we had nothing to do with it!"

"Snatchers, Bella."

I shook my head, sitting down shakily. "No. It couldn't have been. We ordered all Death Eaters to not lay a finger on-_"_

_"Death Eaters,_ Bella. Not Snatchers. The Snatchers murdered him."

"No Cissy, them too, I swear, we didn't order it!"

She grasped my hands tightly and helped me to my feet before pulling me into a tight hug. "I know, Bella," she hissed, "but she doesn't. All we know is that he has been killed, and we know Snatchers did it. His belongings were stolen, which means that the Snatchers did it. She doesn't know what to think. You pay them to kill, and even if they have gone against your orders-"

"We will interrogate each one and kill the one who has murdered Ted," spoke Voldmort. I looked at him in surprise. His eyes were full of a want for revenge.

It wasn't that I disagreed, but my disbelief caused me to say, "But you never even liked Ted."

"He was your family. He was Andromeda's family." This was the first time he had ever addressed my middle sister by name. "The person responsible for this will pay with their life, as well as their family's."

"Andromeda wouldn't want that. Only the murderer, not anyone else."

"Fine, then. Just the murderer."

"Oh, Bella," cried Cissy. "It's just awful. She's never been so upset. She's lost everything! She'll never even look at you!"

"Not everything."

"Well, no, not Tonks, Lupin, and their child, but... it's as if you had lost the Dark Lord. Maybe even more-so; they've been together so long."

"Tonks! What about Tonks?"

"She doesn't hate you. She's so upset, but she knows you never wanted this to happen, oh Bella!"

She squeezed me tightly and sobbed into my shoulder. Cissy had known Ted better than I had. In fact, the only time I had ever met Ted was at my wedding. He had always been away. The grief I felt was not for him, only for the people I loved who loved him.

Narcissa's grip on me was becoming harsher than comfortable. "Careful, Cissy, the baby," I murmured calmly. She released me immediately, her tear-stained face painted with horror as she backed away.

"I'm sorry, Bella, I forgot, I wasn't thinking!"

"Hush, Cissy. You're upset. I'm fine; you didn't hurt me. I just wanted to warn you."

"I'm sorry. I thought I had hurt you. You look paler than usual."

"Well," I responded breathily. "I just received a huge shock, you're clearly very upset, and I just had a little scare right before you came."

"Scare? What happened?"

"It's nothing Cissy, I'm fine."

"Please tell me. I just need... some sort of distraction, anything. Just talk to me."

So I told her about the boggart.

She gasped and started to cry again when I told her what I had seen, and I hastily explained that nothing had really happened.

"Poor Bella," she gasped tearfully. "And poor baby!" She pressed her face against my stomach, and as uncomfortable as I was, I didn't have the heart to stop her.

I sighed. "Will she even speak to me, Narcissa? Or is she too entirely convinced that I wanted him to die?"

"She won't hear you."

I rubbed my temples gently. "Ugh, what a mess. I'll have to prove to her that those men were disobeying orders, then. Not that I'll be in any condition to do so, for a while," I said, gesturing towards my expanding belly. I tapped my fingers on my lips thoughtfully. "First, of course, we'll need to catch the men who did it, but I can't do that until the baby comes.

"She won't even come for the baby?" I asked. She shook her head solemnly.

"You have to understand, Bella-"

"I _do_ understand," I snapped. "That doesn't mean I'm happy about it! I get it! She's grieving! The love of her life died, and as far as she knows I was a part of it! But you have to understand that I'm looking for any way I can! Andromeda is usually very forgiving, and when she's not forgiving, she's reasonable and fair!"

"But this has driven her past that point," Voldemort added.

"Exactly. That's why I'm trying to think of her to make her see."

"Bella, she said herself. She won't see. She told me that she won't ever talk to you or the Dark Lord again until there is solid proof in front of her to show you had no part in it."

"I'll let her search through my mind. She can see anything she wants. She'll know I didn't order it."

"But she's mad at you for hiring Snatchers. Unless you can prove those men were really bad people who never did a thing you said, then she will never forgive you."

I growled in frustration. "Fine. I'll just have to wait-"

There was a tapping on the cloudy glass of our window. I grunted as I tried to pull up the sill, but it was stuck. I felt a cool hand on my shoulder.

"Don't strain yourself," said Voldemort. "It's not good for you or our child."

Our child. Even after what had just happened, my heart swelled with joy from the warmth of that phrase. Instead of "the baby," he said "our child."

He was beginning to accept this.

With a grunt of effort from him, the wood creaked and the window roughly opened. There was an old tawny owl missing an eye with a wrinkled roll of parchment tied to its gnarly claw.

I quickly opened it and Voldemort pulled over a chair for me to sit on. I hoped it was from Andromeda.

I was disappointed.

At the top, in print it read: _Madam Kali's Magical Services, End of Knockturn Alley_. There was a very short message below. Voldemort peered over my shoulder with interest. "Madam Kali? Isn't that one of those insane fortune frauds?"

"I think so. I wonder what she would want with us. Let's see." I began to read:

"_To the Dark Lord and Lady,_

_The other day, a prophecy was delivered, involving the two of you and a nighttime creature. If you were any other wizard and witch, I would send the full prophecy, but I realize that anything involving the two of you may be extremely important and necessary to keep confidential. Therefore, having declined to converse by mail at this point (you never know if it could be intercepted), with all due respect, I request that you come to my shop in exactly one month from now. This will allow me time to further interpret the prophecy for you before we meet, and to record it for future reference._

_Your humble servant,_

_Madam Kali."_

There was a pause. "Well, that's not odd at all," chimed in Narcissa, whose curiosity seemed to have stopped her tears for now.

"I wonder what it could be about," said Voldemort. I could see just a spot of caution in his eyes. I remembered that his last encounter with a prophecy had led to his downfall.

Part of me wanted this prophecy to predict success and power, in a perfect pureblooded world. But even more than that, even more than I wanted the world, I hoped that this prophecy would guide my way in healing my ties with my sweet middle sister.

**You might have to wait quite a while for the pictures. I have sOOO many ideas right now, and the plot is going smoothly. But, I assume you don't really mind. After all, if there was no story, there wouldn't be any pictures, so I assume that you like the story itself better. :)**

**Please review. I'm loving the 50, so let's try to get to 50 more as soon as possible ;)**


	11. Chapter 11

**I'll start on a happy note: I HAVE UPDATED MY PROFILE WITH NEW POTENTIAL STORIES AND UPDATED SUMMARIES! :D I have not removed any stories, only added new ones, so do not fear the profile page! Actually, I encourage you to check it frequently. It is a short page, but has LOTS of info and potential stories!**

**On a less happy note...**

**Guys... I hate to give "the talk," but you know how I am about reviews. I only got 6. Can we please get back to 10 per chapter? I REALLY appreciate it.**

**As your punishment, I have not uploaded any more pictures. No, not really, I'm not holding any from you. I didn't draw any more yet anyways. I've had this chapter written for a while, but I've been really busy with it, tweaking here and there. It is so important to the entire series, so it had to be perfect. Please read carefully, and even more importantly, review!**

**Now... let's talk about the importance of reviewing.**

**THE GOLDEN RULE: When you review, I take everything you say into account.**

**1. Reviews improve my writing. It is helpful to know what I did well, and what I didn't do well.**

**2. Reviews give me a general idea on what people like to read. I can get some of this from reading reviews on other stories, but only very basic concepts. I have come to understand that people like romance, death, babies, and violence. Yes, a very wide range of topics, which is why I need specifics from reviews. Oh! And plot twists! As for what KIND of plot twist... well?**

**3. If you review with a suggestion or idea for the story, I might use it. Don't get overly excited, just be encouraged. If it doesn't fit in, it doesn't fit in, but I love inspiration and try to use it as much as possible.**

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The two of us must have looked very odd, shuffling down that narrow alley in our large cloaks and hidden faces. I was walking as quickly as I could. With my large stomach that now seemed to extend two feet in front of me, I had trouble keeping a steady pace and finding balance. My cloak had added layers and a hood, so it was heavy and awkward, and I kept tripping over it. Luckily, Voldemort was there to steady me each time I stumbled. We were an interesting pair; I was short and round, and he had his tall, slight build. He walked with even strides and kept peering over his shoulder. Knockturn Alley was a dangerous place for strangers, but even more dangerous for us, with all the rebels around. I wondered how many people slumped against walls were members of the Order, just waiting for the chance to jump out at a careless Death Eater.

Finally, we reached the end of the alley without incident. For someone who had been in lots of shady places, I was awfully nervous about being here. Sure, the little shop was dark and rickety, but I had seen worse. Of course, I wasn't afraid for myself. Every fear I felt was for my baby.

Death had always been a natural thing for me. From the moment I got out of Hogwarts, I knew I would be a Death Eater. I never felt the need to be overprotective of myself; I had nothing to live for, but now, I jumped at the slightest wrong feeling, every rustling sound in the shadows. And it was nice. Nice to know that I finally had something to care about.

Voldemort glanced at me nervously. I shrugged and knocked the door, knowing that he was more likely to be scared than I was. Prophecies did not have a record of working out well for him.

We took our first look at Madam Kali. I had seen some ugly faces in my life, but hers utterly shocked me. It wasn't that she was particularly ugly, just... well...

She was old. I could see that. I could also see that she had been very pretty when she was younger, gorgeous even. There was still a ghost of her beauty on her face. She wasn't particularly wrinkled or had a sagging chin. The majority of her face was smooth, with lines mainly on her forehead and between her eyes, like she had spent most of her life squinting. Her face was heavily freckled though, many age spots on her unnaturally pale skin. She had large eyes as it was, but her thin-framed glasses had a heavy prescription that made them about twice their size. Her eyes were very shocking, a deep blue, almost violet, with hints of green. Well, _they_ used to be, for she only had one eye now, the other side of her face had a gold plate over where her eye should have been.

_Weird,_ I thought, _just like her owl's._

She bowed with a weirdly smug smirk on her face and led us inside, not speaking a word until the rotting door was firmly shut and the five rusty locks were turned.

"So," she said in a surprisingly smooth and young-sounding voice, "when is the little one coming along?"

I gasped in shock, and Voldemort and I exchanged panicked glances. She laughed.

"What? You think I can't tell? I may only have one eye, but it is the eye of a hawk. I've spent my entire life observing the present to predict the future. I know a baby bump when I spot one, no matter whether you think I can't see it under all those layers. Besides, my Lady, if you don't mind me saying, you've never dressed most modestly."

I couldn't help but blush as Voldemort helped me out of my cloak. It was warm in here, and I had no need for it now.

"Ah... seven and a half months, if I'm correct?"

"Wow," I breathed. "To the day."

She laughed again, a loud, confident sound. "I'm not that accurate. My eye is only so good, you know. It was an estimate, dearie."

"Still, its incredible." She gave me that quirky little smirk again.

"Well, we didn't just have you make the journey to talk about children, did we? I'm terribly sorry that I couldn't have you Floo here. As you can see, the fireplace is out of order at the moment."

I decided to guess that the heap of crumbling bricks in the corner was formerly her fireplace.

"Now, the propechy. Never have I come across one so confusing. There is only so much I can tell you about it. It is very vague, and you must know that all prophecies are vague, so this one is especially so." She stopped, looking behind me with her smirk again. I turned.

Voldemort was still standing, arms crossed and a not-very-well-hidden sour look.

"Ha!" she cackled "I know that look, young man!" I giggled at his reaction to being called "young man," but Madam Kali seemed not to have noticed. "You doubt my powers!"

"Forgive me for being a stiff, but I've always thought Divination is a laugh."

"Still thinking that after the last propechy?"

He scowled. "You don't expect me to believe all that crystal ball nonsense, do you?"

She screamed with delight. "Of course not! I don't either! It's all fake, all of it! Tea leaves and glass spheres, tarot cards and smoke from magical fires, they are all muggle myths that our kind have been led to believe in. True divination does not involve those petty things. It is based on patterns of nature and the subconscious. The future is most commonly seen in weather patterns, alignment of planets, and dreams. Commonly, but not as accurate. Prophecies however, the least explained and least commonly found, and as vague as they are, happen to be almost always correctly. The sixth sense has surprising power, but it comes from within, not in tea cups."

"Almost always correct? When are prophecies not?" I asked.

She gave me an intense stare. "When they intersect with other prophecies," she said. "But enough speak of the art. Now, I will tell your story to you."

She pulled a roll of parchment from her silvery robes and read:

"_In a time where shadows will meet rays, and sunset will match sunrise, it will come to them._

_Partners in war, and partners in life, ebony man and woman, king and queen of darkness,_

_The one of the night will come to them. Brought in pain and fear, brought to prevent more._

_It holds great power, but it arrives with power locked inside, held back by a greater desire. Held by loneliness._

_The power may be released, only by what the one of the night wants most._

_If two more of its kind do not join it before its 712nd midnight in their company, the power will fade away, never to be coaxed out, driven back by the darkness it came from._

_Each one similar will add to the strength, each key opening a nesting box of potential, 'till it is nearly indestructible._

_Then, he and she may destroy the lighting strike, with assistance from the most loyal and powerful of the night._

_And shadows may swallow the phoenix's light."_

There was a pause.

"What does it mean?" I hissed anxiously.

She smirked, not to my surprise. "That is what makes it so odd. I do not know myself. Never have I come across one so uninterpretable. I cannot even tell you what this 'one of the night' is, or when it will come. It could be tonight. It could be the second before you die.

"But I will say everything I know.

"Firstly, you must realize what this truly is. It intersects the other prophecy, and because it has come later, it overpowers it. This is how you can defeat The Boy Who Lived. Now, The Boy Who Will Die.

"This 'one of the night' will come during a war or battle. Obviously, it will come in the night, in the darkness. And it will come to you, King and Queen of the Dark side. It will reduce losses on your side, but may come with losses. This is where it becomes unclear.

"It may literally be lonely. In this case, it is most likely some sort of animal, that joined by some sort of pack, will be essential in winning. But I have been looking at this more closely, and now I think that it is most likely a weapon you will find that becomes more powerful when surrounded by more magical objects. I cannot explain why it must be accompanied by others before two years. It most likely has very rare properties that fade with time if not encouraged or reawakened.

"There is strength in numbers. The more you have of this object or creature, the stronger it will be.

"Understand. If you manage to do this, even collect only two, you will defeat The Boy Who Lived, and eventually the entire Muggle-loving community. The more of this you have, however, the less losses you will suffer."

"How?" asked Voldemort. "If we don't know what to look for, how will we find it?"

"It is best to follow your instincts. The subconscious knows more than you would think."

I felt uneasy about our lack of information, but I was glad to have any at all. We thanked Madam Kali, who refused payment, and returned back home.

My instincts told me, though, that something important involving the prophecy would happen soon. I was still thinking about the subconscious as I eased myself into bed that night. As my head hit the pillow, it told me that something else important would be happening even sooner.

But before I began to sleep, and let meaningful dreams take over, I would not know what.

**Read Author's Note above, and REVIEW!**


	12. Chapter 12

**I'M NOT DEAD! :) Yes, I plan on continuing "Unlucky" for those who've been wondering.**

**Just a bit disappointed with reviews. Please, could I possibly have ten per chapter, at least? I look at traffic and I know people read much more than they review. One of the reasons this took so long was that I was not motivated. Thanks to a few of my fans for emailing and getting me motivated again.**

**Just know that my intention was not to punish people for lack of reviews! Though I have been slacking off recently, my main reason for not writing has been a bit of writer's block. I just haven't been able to focus and get the story the way I want it. However, school is now over, so I would expect to be writing a bit more.**

**No new drawings! Sorry! My pencil has been on break as well!**

I wanted so badly to dream. Andromeda. Andromeda. I had to get her to believe me. I needed her to be my sister again. After our incredible visit to Madam Kali, I was beginning to think that only my subconcious knew the way.

But it didn't. I had a restless, yet dreamless sleep.

Countless times I woke up sweating in short amounts of time. I could not seem to get comfortable, and nor could my baby, it seemed. He or she was moving around constantly, sometimes kicking too hard. While the movements of my child often comforted me, I was annoyed at this moment. Exasperated, I ran my hand along my protruding bump, thinking to the baby, _Would you please just be still?_

It was also an uncomfortably hot night. For early April, the weather had been unseasonably warm, and all the rain was not helping with the humidity aspect. My hair kept sticking to my neck and my pajamas clung to my expanding curves. Sticky, restless, and sore, I hissed, continuing to rub my swollen belly as if it could calm the child by the slightest possibility. My angry sighs became more and more desperate. Voldemort did not even stir. He rested peacefully, his angellic head still, his fine eyelashes fluttering, his perfect pale hands by his chin, and looking mighty and powerful, even in his vunerable state. Envy stirred inside me. I wanted to be at ease, I wanted to be asleep, I wanted this damned baby to stop dancing around. I choked up as my eyes wandered to his slim frame. I wanted some comfort. How come he couldn't carry his child?

I wouldn't allow myself to think such silly thoughts and I wouldn't allow myself to cry. Being pregnant was no excuse for being weak, no more than being in love was. In fact, it should have made me stronger, more determined.

Tonight, I just felt trapped in my own body.

Truth be told, I wasn't even particularly tired, at least not physically. Sleepiness had not hit me. I was mentally exhausted, though, and I knew that sleep would keep my strength up.

I looked over at the clock. It was already past one in the morning, but I still had time to get some rest.

Everything I did only seemed to make the baby move around more. Really, I wanted to lay on my stomach, but I was afraid of crushing my child. I decided to compromise, rolling onto my side. Almost immediately, I felt better, letting cool air from the windows brush against my back. I drew my knees up as far as my bump would allow. It was still an interesting sensation, to feel my rounded belly against my knees, especially as the baby fidgeted. Trying something different, I began to move my hand in circles, continuously slowing, hoping that the motion would calm my child and my thoughts. Miraculously, it seemed to work. The close to painful kicks became nudges, which became fluttering, and then only tickles. Once I felt no more motion, I was somehow able to stop my thoughts as well. Slowly, the waves of sleep seemed to wash over me...

And it worked, because all of the sudden, I felt nothing. It was a good thing too, because little did I know, I would not be resting later.

However, even with this uninterrupted sleep, I still had no dreams.

I was greeted with the peaceful darkness and silence instead, and nothing that would help me with my sister.

At some point, I did begin to hear whispers, but they were detached and nonsensical. I heard random clips of words.

_"We have to..."_

_"Is she okay?"_

_"She ...surprisingly...well..."_

_"...baby..."_

I faded in and out, hearing these random snippets in panicked whispers. The voices became louder and I could now hear longer phrases, and distinguish them as Narcissa's and Voldemort's.

_"...start to have the baby?" c_ame Voldemort's strained whisper.

_"As far as I know... I came as soon as I knew..." _Narcissa's smaller voice came in less clearly. _"We have to... soon... don't want to compromise her health, though."_

_"She'd want to know. We have to wake her."_

"Bella." The forceful whisper and cold hands on my shoulder startled me awake. The baby gave an unpleasant kick.

"Ugh," I groaned. I felt fully awake already, but my eyes had not adjusted to the bright lights. They only came from inside, however. It was still dark outside. For whatever reason, my husband and younger sister had decided to wake me in the middle of the night.

"Is she awake yet?" asked Narcissa.

"Bellatrix," Voldemort whispered urgently in my ear. "Bellatrix, wake up quickly, please."

I blinked the spots out of my eyes and stretched out my back. I had rolled back onto it as I slept, and it was now stiff.

At first, I thought it was just my eyes, but Voldemort and Narcissa both looked paler than usual.

"What's going on?" I asked.

Narcissa's eyes shone in excitement, but fear as well. "It's time! The baby is coming!"

Immediately, every part of me was fully awake, and on edge. "What?" I hoarsely gasped. I struggled to sit, but to my embarrassment, I was unable to get myself upright. I grasped my globe-like middle, but I felt no different, other than terrified. "Not yet! How would you even know? Did my water break?"

Voldemort wore an expression of confusion as Narcissa rolled her eyes and laughed. "Not _you,_ idiot," she said. "Tonks's baby! She just went into labor!"

"Oh..." I said, scowling at my stupidity. Of course it wasn't my baby! I still had a month and a half to go. "Well, that's great, but why couldn't you wait until the baby has actually come, and tell me in the morning?" I rubbed my eyes grumpily.

"She wants you to be there."

I froze. "Really? She does?"

"You're more important to her than you think."

Although I was touched by that statement, I was thinking about something else. If Tonks wanted her aunt to be there, an aunt that was possibly related to the death of her father, her own mother would certainly be there as well. "But won't _she_ be there, too? You know..."

Narcissa picked up the hint. "Yes, she will, which is why we need to disguise you. Tonks should be under as little stress as possible, and a fight breaking out won't help."

"Narcissa, I'm almost eight months pregnant. Andy will immediately know it's me. It will be too obvious of a coincidence for her to believe otherwise."

"I know," Narcissa spoke softly. "Which is why instead of trying to hide your likeness, we are going to keep it. Andromeda would assume that we would try something like this. She will be looking for someone who looks nothing like you. So instead, our goal is to set up the biggest coincidence possible. She won't even think twice about Tonk's pregnant friend who is named Bella and looks a lot like you."

"Really? Because to me, it sounds like the stupidest thing we could possibly do," I growled.

"Trust me on this one," she replied smugly.

"Don't you think naming her 'Bella' is going a little too far?" asked Voldemort. I nodded in agreement.

Narcissa grinned evilly. "No, but it will mess with her mind."

And with that, she got to work.

* * *

With a satisfied smile, Narcissa proudly declared, "Done!"

I had to say I was impressed. I was unrecognizable, not so much by features, but by style. My hair was slightly darker and pin straight. I wore heavy makeup, mostly around the eyes, and Narcissa had done a good job of de-aging me. It wasn't that I was particularly old-looking, in fact, I was often told I looked young for my age, but Narcissa had somehow managed to vanish some maturity and stress from my face. I even looked slightly healthier with fuller arms and cheeks that were no longer hallowed out. My nose had a clip on piercing and each of my ears had about four clip-ons in addition to my two real ones. I wore a loose black trench coat, lace-up dragon boots, a black pleated skirt, and a tight t-shirt with black and red stripes and frayed holes in random places. Each arm had a studded wrist band, but my fingers were lacking the various rings that I usually wore. I looked just like one of Tonks's friends would, and yet I could see myself. Narcissa had not changed my features in the slightest.

However, I frowned while examining my reflection. "You made me huge. I didn't even notice you do it, though." I looked like I could be nine months pregnant, and I was less than eight.

"False," she said smugly. "Enlarging your belly would be dangerous for the baby, and Andromeda knows that. The fit of your coat and the tightness of the shirt makes you look bigger, and the shirt is designed with holes, so she knows there is no stuffing."

"So you're using illusions to trick her eyes?" Voldemort asked.

"This whole thing is about tricking her eyes. She'll be seeing Bellatrix right in front of her, but her logic will tell her it can't be. If I wasn't so smart, it would be impossible."

"That's enough 'Ms. I-Like-To-Brag.' What do I have to do?" I asked.

"Don't try to act too young. You're a young adult, not a teenager. Try to agree with Tonks and her mother on whatever they say. If they argue for any reason, side with Tonks. You're her friend, not Andromeda's. And don't be a completely different person. It'll be too fake."

Voldemort cleared his throat. "Are you sure it'll be safe? I'd rather not take any risks if Bellatrix might get thrown into Azkaban."

"I promise there is no risk other than a furious Andromeda. Tonks is at home, not at St. Mungo's, so there shouldn't be any Aurors around."

"Okay, then," I said. "Let's get going before I talk myself out of it." I stared into Voldemort's eyes anxiously, and he ran his finger down my jaw.

"Why are you scared? Even if your sister discovers you, she will not harm you." His hand rested on my cheek.

"It's not just her. I'm afraid of . . . when it happens. It'll be my turn in a few months. What if it's horrible? What if I can't handle it when the time comes?" I said breathily as my brow creased in worry.

"You don't need to think about that yet. Besides, you are the strongest woman I know. It would take a hundred Cruciatus Curses to even knock you off your feet." A smile formed on my lips and he kissed them softly.

"Now go," he ordered. "Tonks is waiting."

"Come on," said Narcissa. "At this pace, the child will be fully grown by time we get there." Impatiently, she grabbed my hand and pulled me into the Floo.

We were in a small room with rough wooden floors and a few pieces of worn, but comfortable-looking furniture. A bright fire glowed in the stone fireplace from which we had just stepped and the light danced across the light yellow walls. I could hear drifting voices from somewhere else in the house.

"This is the living room. They're upstairs in the bedroom. This way," she said and walked out. I followed her through another cozy, yet ragged looking room which seemed to be the dining room, and then an outdated kitchen. I felt slightly humbled. I had two mansions, and all this time, Tonks and Lupin seemed to be barely making ends meet. Didn't they know they could ask for help from their family?

Narcissa stopped at a dangerously narrow spiral staircase with steep wooden steps and rusting iron rails. "Will you be okay on these? Tonks said they've been giving her trouble."

"I'll be fine," I insisted.

"At least let me walk behind you, just in case something happens."

I rolled my eyes, but I decided not to protest. I was careful not to lose my balance, but the stairs were steep and far apart. About halfway up, I had to stop to catch my breath.

"Bella, is everything okay?"

"I'm _fine,_" I growled. "But they really need to get an elevator here."

"Shh... Listen."

I could hear voices coming from down the hall. As we got closer, we could hear a conversation between Tonks and Andromeda.

"Nymphadora... I still don't understand why they can't just Apparate here."

"Mom, I've already told you, my best friend is pregnant, too. She can't Apparate."

"How pregnant? Seven and a half-"

"Oh give it a break, Mum. Bellatrix will not be coming."

We reached a room at the end of the hall and I peered inside. Lupin was sitting right by the bedside, looking rather pale and holding Tonks's hand. Andromeda was sitting further away, a scowl on her face. She looked unwell. She was thinner than usual, in fact, her hallowed out face looked a bit like mine. Her hair was not exactly tangled, but it wasn't smooth. It was stringy and longer, and there were a few grays in there that I had never seen before. Her and Tonks were exchanging a death glare, but aside from that, Tonks seemed surprisingly comfortable and calm.

Until she bent over and groaned in pain.

My eyes widened and I looked at Narcissa, but she didn't seem to be fazed at all.

"Is she okay?" I whispered.

"Okay, no," she responded. "But normal, yes. Think, Bellatrix. You can't expect it to be painless."

"I know that," I grumbled. "But it looks like it hurts a lot."

However, by time we had finished talking, Tonks had already recovered, aside from breathing a bit harder. Lupin stared deeply into her eyes with concern, but she gave him a genuine smile to comfort him.

At this point Narcissa rapped on the doorframe.

"Narcissa?"

"We're here."

"Come on in."

In a different situation, I would have laughed. The moment she spotted us, Andromeda's jaw literally dropped. She sat there open mouthed like a fish, totally speechless.

"Remus, Mother, I'd like you both to meet my best friend, Bella."

"Bella?" Andromeda spluttered.

"Pleased to meetcha, Mrs. Tonks," I said, shaking her hand. "And you too, Remus, but I do believe we've seen each other once before, haven't we-"

"Bella?" Andromeda repeated "What is this, Narcissa? You're not up to any _tricks_, are you?"

"Sorry?" I asked.

"Mother, please. Enough."

I looked confused.

"Sorry, Bella," my niece sighed. "My mother is under the impression that I've invited my other aunt to join us."

"Oh! The one who... well, that one?"

"The Dark Lady, yes."

"Ah."

Andromeda interrupted: "So, _Bella,_ which side are you on?"

Tonks looked furious. "_Mom._ Do we really need to bring politics into this? I told you to stop harassing-"

"Hey, Tonks, it's okay. No big deal," I said. "I'm not clear on either side, if you must know. I'm not big on killing off Muggles and Muggleborns, but Magic is Might, and I feel we should avoid marrying Muggles. We should keep magic pure. Of course, there's not much to do about Muggleborns, and this is where I feel the Dark side has gone wrong. After all, they're magic too, and they can't help who their parents are." Really, I disagreed with half of what I was saying, but I needed to be convincing.

"Anyways, enough about me, how are you? You look... strangely relaxed," I commented.

"It's actually not too bad for the most part. The contractions kill, though. I can't imagine this'll be fun when they get closer together." Despite these words, she seemed cheerful enough.

"I'm sure you'll do fine, Nymphadora." Tonks made a face as Andromeda spoke. "So Bella, when is your child coming along?" Tonks made an uglier face.

"I'm almost eight months." I had to stop myself from showing any fear as I realized my mistake.

Andromeda responded, "Really? That's funny. You don't look like eight months. Oddly enough, Tonk's aunt-"

"Twins," I lied smoothly, cutting her off. "I'm not as far along as I look." She opened her mouth to speak, but shut it, looking confused and defeated.

"Ughhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh," Tonks groaned. Remus squeezed her hand, and I quickly sat down in the last empty chair, closer to Tonks than Andromeda, but further away than Remus, on the other side. I restrained from speaking as she struggled and then sat up, a few beads of sweat dripping from her face. She massaged her belly and took deep breaths and was able to return to her original position. "How close are they now?" she panted.

Lupin checked his watch. "About five minutes apart, now. You're almost ready." He looked at Narcissa and me. "You two got here right on time."

"Not yet, Remus," she scolded. "Unfortunately, there's still more to go." Her attention turned to Andromeda. "Mother, are you okay?"

My sister seemed to have forgotten about me, which was probably for the best. She looked oddly pale and small tears were forming in the corners of her eyes.

"Mother, why are you crying? I'm pretty sure _I'm_ the one in pain," Tonks said.

"I'm not crying," she retorted defensively, but her eyes just grew wetter. "But it's just hard to see my own daughter like this. Not that I didn't go through the same thing... But even though this is a happy occasion, you know I hate to see you in pain..."

Those words, admittedly a bit over the top, made Tonks roll her eyes, but made my think hard. I was beginning to just understand Andy. She hated to see loved ones in pain. She would even go as far as to hate a person she loved if she thought they had harmed another loved one.

Like she thought I had.

"I think I just need a quick drink of water," she said shakily. "Do you need any, Dora?" The concern was clear in her eyes. "Anyone else?" she offered hastily afterwards.

"No, Mother, I'm all set," she said, holding up a big glass. Everyone else declined.

"All right. I'll be back in a ... I'll be back soon." We all got the feeling it would take more than a minute for her to pull herself together and return.

Tonks watched the door and smiled mischievously as we heard Andromeda's footsteps downstairs. "Nice disguise, Aunt Bellatrix."

"I have absolutely no idea what you are talking about," I grinned.

"Well, it's very impressive, anyways. I'm surprised. You look just about ready to pop, too."

"It's all Narcissa's work. I must say she's quite the artist. All tricks of the eye."

"It's amazing."

"Thank you," Narcissa said smugly.

"Well, you look great. I've missed you so much. I don't think Mother understands. I know my father's death was not by your doing. Mother just wants someone to blame, but she's forgetting that now that Daddy is gone, I need family more than ever." For the first time today, she looked almost as worn out and sad as Andromeda herself. "I'm lonely. I need more than just Remus and my mother. Narcissa's family is so busy most of the time. I want to see you, and even your husband. I want to see your children. I want them to become friends with mine." Narcissa offered a sympathetic smile, but I cut the sweet moment off with disbelief.

"Wait... hold it right there! Children? In the plural?"

"Well, of course," she said, confused. "You're planning on having more after your first, aren't you?"

I began to protest, but at that moment, Tonks curled over again and groaned even louder and longer than before. Right when she looked ready to sit up again, she doubled back over in pain again.

"They're- getting closer- together now," she gasped. "It's almost time. Remus- how-close are they now?"

He paled considerably. "The time has really dropped. It's been less than a minute." As he was speaking, Tonks bent over yet another time.

"Less than half a minute," he corrected.

We sat in silence for a while, comforting Tonks as the pain got more and more intense. Soon, she was in constant pain, and her groans turned to cries. Remus looked extremely flustered, doing all he could to make her feel better, but the fingers he offered her to squeeze and his hand rubbing her belly did nothing much to ease the hurting.

Andromeda dashed in. "Nymphadora!" she exclaimed, almost dropping her glass of water.

"Mom," Tonks gasped, hand grasping at her middle, and tears leaking from the corners of her eyes.

"I think she's ready," Remus offered, a bit unhelpfully.

Andromeda bent down and peeked under the blankets. Her head came up paler than ever, but she had a grin and a look of excitement on her face.

"She's ready."

* * *

The birth of Tonks' baby could be described as both the most beautiful and most horrifying thing I had ever witnessed.

There was blood. I'd seen blood before, but this was a lot of blood. The red bedsheets made me feel slightly sick. And each painful cry sliced through my heart and sent chills through me.

But there was the baby.

As Tonks finally stopped screaming and slumped back against the pillow, a baby's cries replaced hers. At first I could not see anything, and then Andromeda turned around, holding the child. Tonks and Remus' smiles could have lit up a whole town, but my eyes were focused on their little child. All I could do was stare at that little face, the perfect eyes, nose, mouth, ears. I stared as if my life depended on it.

Then I saw his hair and I shouted, "Holy shit!"

Tonks laughed joyfully and took him in her arms as she said, "Well, he's not a werewolf!"

"He's just like you," Remus said in disbelief, also staring wide-eyed at his son's turquoise hair. Narcissa snapped a photo.

"He's wonderful," I breathed happily.

"What are you going to name him?" Narcissa asked.

Tonks and Remus looked at each other. "Teddy," Tonks said, "Ted Remus Lupin." Andromeda gasped and shed tears of both grief and joy.

But for once, it was mostly joy.

"Tonks, that looked dreadfully painful, but after seeing your little boy, I'm beginning to think that it's totally worth it."

"It is," she said, "It sure is, Aunt Bella."

For a moment we all sat there, not really absorbing what she had said.

Then, Andromeda's joy flickered out of her eyes.

Tonks tried to cover up her mistake. "Oh, God! Did I just do that again? I'm sorry, Bella, that's, like, the third time I've called you that. I guess that's just what-"

"Bellatrix," Andromeda growled.

Uh oh. This would be interesting.

"D-don't worry. I know it was just a mistake. I know you didn't mean-"

"Bellatrix!" she shouted. Teddy began to cry again.

"You! You little slime! I knew it was you from the start! I trusted you! I trusted my daughter! I trusted my sister! You all tricked me! My heart said yes, but my eyes said no! My heart knew best! I _KNEW!_ And now, I swear, you'd better run or I am going to MURDER you, you evil little-"

"Mother, please, I invited her! Don't ruin-"

"Nymphadora, shut UP! You can't possibly want this disaster in your home! She's a monster! She even risked her own child to come-"

"Andy, please," Narcissa said. "Please see reason! Tonks wanted this! She wanted Bella to be here. They're close, she just-"

"GET OUT! BOTH OF YOU! OUT! YOU DON'T WANT TO DISAGREE! I WILL-"

"Come on, Bellatrix," Narcissa said anxiously. "I'd hate to see her any more furious. She can be dangerous."

"But..." I hesitated, looking back at the screaming little boy. Neither of us even got to hold little Teddy.

"Please. Before we make things worse."

"Okay... okay," I said in regret and defeat. I raised a hand to Tonks and Remus, knowing that any words would be drowned out in Andromeda's shouting. We took one last look at the little newborn baby before exiting.

We could hear the arguing all the way in the living room when we got there. Even Remus was defending me. I was touched, but utterly crushed by the fighting that occurred right after this little miracle.

It was probably for the best that we left early, though. As soon as we stepped out of the Floo, I felt funny. I knew something was wrong. Narcissa must have sensed it, too, because we both immediately tried to locate Voldemort, worry furrowed into our brows. He was nowhere to be seen.

I found him in the least likely place, the dining room. It seemed that he had been organizing some shelfs when he fell.

His body froze me in panic. Narcissa stood off to the side, clearly shocked.

His lifeless eyes were wide open, gazing into nothing. Or something we couldn't see.

I thought he was dead, and for a second, I felt like time had stopped and would never start again. Surely, it was the end of the world.

Finally, I was able to breathe again as I saw he was doing the same.

I bent down and touched his face with my hand. Cool, as always, but not dead person cold. His pulse was strong, rapid even.

He was seeing something. Something somewhere else. Something that stirred panic or emotion inside him.

As soon as he came to, I wanted to know what.

**OOOOOooooOOOoooOoooOoOooooh! Cliffie!**

**So I did something a little bit different, by splitting this extremely long chapter into parts. I hope that the change in format didn't bother anyone. It may or may not become a regular thing.**

**So, Tonks has her little Teddy now! And Andromeda is PISSED at everyone!**

**I hope you liked this chapter! Please review.**

**And I also thought I should mention, you can always ask questions/give comments/confide in/fan over/just discuss things in general with me on my email. I believe it's on my profile, but if not, I'll put it here:**

**remove spaces:**

**darkpiratenellie (at) yahoo. com**

**Just remember! Emailing does not replace reviewing, (unless you're SuperSnuffles13, then I guess it's okay) so please email me only if you review.**

**Okay! See you later! :)**

**-DPN (with "less than three")**


	13. Chapter 13

Sometimes I beg for my life to slow down. Every moment seems to speed by all too quickly. Things move and change. I just wish them to be still.

But now, I prayed that the stillness would vanish. My eyes searched frantically for movement.

"Voldemort, love," I whispered, "please be alright." Though I was fairly certain that he was not in any sort of pain or danger, I couldn't help my heart from its panicky flutters.

"Do something," I pleaded to Narcissa. She merely shook her head in shock.

I eased myself to my knees beside him. From my kneeling position, I put a finger to his neck, checking his pulse, and my head against his chest, searching for his heartbeat. He was breathing quickly and deeply, and he twitched ever so slightly as I touched him. As I backed away, I noticed his eyes still seemed to be focused on something far away.

"He is excited. Or scared. Or angry. I don't know which, but he's having some sort of dream or vision. And yet, he's conscious, or at least partially so. He definitely responded when I touched him," I remarked.

"Do you think he's hearing a prophecy?" Narcissa asked. "Like the one about the Potter boy?"

"Don't be absurd," I snapped, feeling some shame and guilt as she took a wary step back. "That prophecy is wrong. Potter didn't destroy my husband, nor will he ever. Those things are just myths." However, I secretly agreed with Narcissa. In fact, it was one of the first things my mind jumped to. Perhaps Voldemort was experiencing a connection with his subconscious.

"Please," I whispered softly, looking at his glassy eyes. I tore myself away from his blank stare, just long enough to say, "Narcissa. Get me a pillow."

Normally, I would put his head in my lap, or cradle his upper half in my arms, but my stomach didn't leave much room for that, so I reluctantly put Narcissa's pillow under his head, and rested my hand on his face. He was sweating.

Narcissa still looked lost. "What are we going to do?" she asked.

"For now, nothing," I responded. "If he doesn't wake up on his own within ten minutes though, I think we should do it ourselves."

"Look!" Narcissa exclaimed. "I don't think we'll have to."

Voldemort was stirring. His fingers were beginning to twitch and his eyes were rolling around ever so slightly. He continued to do this for a minute until his body suddenly jerked, and his eyes immediately came back to focus.

They snapped to me. "Bella," he growled.

In a flash he was up on his feet. He nearly fell over as he did so, and I caught him, but he pushed me away with a snarl. He began pacing the room desperately, fury carved deep into his face. Poor Narcissa was so frightened that she had backed all the way into a corner and seemed paralyzed there. Voldemort whirled around, obviously looking for something. He raced over to a table and picked up a heavy lamp, and I realized he was about to throw it at the floor.

"Stop," I whispered, more to myself than to him, but he froze anyways. His eyes locked to mine once more, and the anger was replaced with a weary look of defeat. He returned the lamp to its place and sunk to the ground, his head in his hands.

I stepped warily towards him. Voldemort was sitting perfectly still, not making one sound. I took another step. There was no response, so I closed the distance and eased myself to the ground next to him.

I glanced at the back of his head to see if he had any lump or bruise from his fall, but there was none. "Voldemort," I whispered cautiously. He looked up, forehead wrinkled in distress and one hand still resting on his head. "You're not hurt at all, are you?" He shook his head "no." I moved closer and took his hand. "What happened? Why did you fall? What did you see? And why were you so angry?"

"Potter," he whispered angrily. I leaned closer to hear more. "I was just cleaning off some shelves, when I felt a small intrusion into my mind. I tried to block it out, but nobody was consciously doing it. It was a deeper connection, something that could not be prevented.

"All of the sudden, I blacked out. I don't remember hitting the floor. I'm not certain whether or not I even fell, but I know I didn't do anything consciously.

"The black faded away. I was in some sort of tent, but I didn't know where. It was an average size, and not exactly fancy, but not a bad tent either. I seemed to be sitting, but I was aware that I was not in my own body. It belonged to someone else. My eyes searched around for clues of who I was, where I was, or what I was doing there. I could find nothing. I only saw perfectly normal things: books, sleeping mattresses, a bag, and a few cups."

"What does that have to do with the Potter boy? I'm not making the connection," I said.

"I'm not done yet," he responded. "Suddenly I, or this body, turned around. This person was looking for something. I could see fine, but I was under the impression that this person couldn't. They reached out and waved their hand around until it grabbed a pair of glasses. Potter's glasses."

"How do you know it was him? He's not the only boy with ridiculous glasses. Even some of Draco's friends have them."

"I told myself the same thing. I didn't jump to conclusions; I only had my suspicions. But then, this person picked up a small book. They opened it too quickly for me to read the title, but I saw the first page: 'Property of Harry James Potter.' I waited for some sort of clue that could lead me to his location or show me what he was doing and who he was with. But then, he seemed to change his mind. He closed the book, pushing it away too quickly for me to see the front, yet again. Then, he went onto his mattress and tried to fall asleep. For a minute or so, I was fading in and out, between the real world and wherever Potter was. For just a moment, I saw something of importance. He opened his eyes as someone unzipped the tent and stepped inside, but their back was turned and it was too dark to see much. In a second, it seemed as if I was being spun around, and then I was back here.

"You can't possibly understand the true frustration I felt. I've waited so long, counting on worthless followers to finally catch up to him. We've been so close to getting him, time after time. Nagini nearly killed him at Godric's Hollow. He managed to escape the entire Ministry of Magic. There's even a rumor that some Snatchers caught him and brought him to Lestrange mansion, and he got away before they could call me. All this, with nothing to show for it. We have no leads to where he's hiding. I was so sure that today we'd find something, but all I saw was him sitting in his worthless tent," he fumed.

"But you have found out something. We know he's not travelling alone," I said encouragingly.

"We already assumed that. This tells us nothing more than we knew before."

"I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault."

We sat in silence for a moment before Narcissa spoke up. "But you were inside his head. Who's to say it won't happen again? Next time, you may be able to use it to your advantage." I nodded in agreement.

"You're right," he said, standing up and pacing the room. "Next time, some information of value might come to me."

"You should have said something about the Death Eaters," I said. "If they're being incompetent, then maybe I should try. Let me do something useful. I haven't had a mission in months."

"For good reason," he replied. "Can you even stand up without my help, right now?"

I looked around for something to grab to pull myself up, and not finding anything, I tried to stand by myself, only falling backwards from my lack of balance.

"Ugh. Narcissa, come here and help me up." She did so and I smiled smugly. "Yes. I can stand up without your help, thank you very much."

"Can you do it without Narcissa's help?"

"Assuming that grants me permission to use you for help."

"The answer is no, Bellatrix."

"Fine," I responded, "but you can't expect me to do nothing. I'm not stupid. I can feel the tension rising. There's going to be a war. I need to fight in it."

"The baby will most likely be born by then."

"There's going to be a war _soon_."

"You'll be having the baby _soon_," he replied.

"But not soon enough, and you know it."

"Bellatrix," he sighed."I understand. Trust me, I do. But there is no way on Earth that you'll be fighting if you're still pregnant. Not just for the sake of our child, but for your own safety, as well. You can't even stand up on your own. Your reflexes may be sharp as ever, but your speed and mobility is down. I can't risk you. If it makes you feel any better, I'll even take the emotional side out of it: If my best warrior gets killed because she is unable to fight at her full potential, it will cause chaos. This isn't our only war that we'll ever fight. I'll need you in the ranks in the future. I won't use you in this war, Bellatrix. If you die, my army will die because we need you in the ranks. And if you die, I will die because I simply cannot live without you. Do you understand?"

"What if something goes wrong? I don't doubt you, but..."

"You're worried that I will die."

"I'm not saying it's likely, but there's always the chance! I could never live with myself after that! How could I, knowing that I could have possible prevented it, or that I could have died with you, by your side?"

He sighed. "We'll talk about this another time. Maybe we can put you in a low-risk spot. No matter what, you will not be fighting in the front lines like you normally do."

"You worry too much about me," I teased.

"Maybe," he replied. "But I have to. Unfortunately, I can't count on you to worry about yourself."

I grinned. "Not a chance."

**Please review. No more chapters until I get ten more. Really.**


	14. Chapter 14

**Hello, everyone. :) We're nearing the end of Unlucky! I have the entire end of the story planned out in my head from this point on, but I have absolutely no idea how that will turn out chapter-wise, even this chapter that I'm about to write. There really could be anywhere between two and six chapters left! More likely it will be three or four, but either way, we are nearing the end, and you know what that means...**

**The polls are open, folks! This time, instead of having you vote on a specific story, I want to know how long of a break you want me to take from The Luckiest series. This will tell me whether I should work on the third installment immediately, write a one-shot or a short story in-between Unlucky and the next story in the series, or write a longer story in that time before continuing the series. While "do not continue" is also an option, I sincerly doubt that I will use that for two reasons: 1. Judging by the popularity of this series versus my other stories, I would not think that that would win in the poll. 2. Even if that did win, I probably would ignore it and just take a long break. By now, I am too attached to the series to not continue it. :)**

**On a different note, I also have a message from a fellow reader that I'd like to share with you about a new Harry Potter forum that you might enjoy:**

A new Harry Potter forum has opened! King's Cross Station has been created to serve as a fun, friendly, and easygoing place for Harry Potter fans to get together to talk about the books and express themselves through fanfiction and fanart. King's Cross Station is free to join, easy to use and wonderful way to get in touch with other Harry Potter fans. King's Cross Station can be found at / kingscrossstation. proboards. com (Just copy and paste this into your address bar and remove the spaces) Some of King's Cross Station's useful features include:

- Clean and easy navigation.

- Separate sections for all areas of Harry Potter discussion.

- Boards devoted entirely to Fanfiction and Fanart

- Sections to talk about anything not relating to Harry Potter.

- Competitions, Games, Events, as well as fanfiction and fanart Prompts. We are also looking for people to hire on as Mods! If you're interested then please PM "admin" over on King's Cross Station. King's Cross Station is a friendly place open to all Harry Potter fans – readers, writers and reviewers – and we look forward to seeing you there!

Sincerely,

The King's Cross Staff

**Sorry everyone, I know it's long, but I was very interested in this forum and I plan to join it, and I thought that you all might find it interesting too. I wouldn't say anything if I wasn't interested myself :) Enough talking from me! I know you're ready to hear from Bellatrix and Voldemort!**

Who says that dreams are better than reality? I've been having terrible nightmares. Dreams where Voldemort is killed. Dreams where I lose my baby. Dreams where Voldemort is tortured to death, I'm tortured until the baby dies, and then tortured until I die. I was having a particularly gruesome one tonight. I am sitting in a pool of blood and flesh. Pieces of little fingers tell me that it's my baby. I'm chained to the ground, forced to sit in the remains of my dead child. Even if the chains were removed, I still would not be able to move. My legs are clearly broken. The bones are even jutting out, but it hurts me even more to look at the blood than my own bones.

Voldemort is suspended by ropes from the ceiling of the dark cellar we are in. Two blades are positioned in front of him, one to cut one of the many wires he hangs from, and one that remains stationary out front of his heart. I force myself to watch, to whisper "I love you" one more time as a figure cloaked in shadows pulls a lever.

The knife slashes, the rope snaps, and he swings forward, driving the knife all the way through himself. I'm horrified as the light immediaty leaves his eyes and his limp, bloodied body swings closer to me. The body quickly approaches, his sticky dead flesh about to touch my sticky skin that somehow belongs to a living person. I squeeze my eyes shut, waiting for the dreaded impact...

Cool lips press themselves to my forehead. I am startled awake and my wide eyes stare into icy blue irises. "You're burning up," Voldemort said. "Do you feel ill at all?"

I shook my head, trying to control my panicky rapid breathing. "Nightmare," I managed to croak.

"Again? And so early? You went to sleep less than an hour ago."

"I know," I groaned. "I just can't stop thinking about the other side. It's silly. They never torture or kill in gruesome ways, but in my dreams, they do. I've always thought that they were weak, unwilling to use whatever methods they need to get what they want, but in my dreams, they do things that even make my spine tingle." I shivered, grasping my arms in an iron grip. The bed made a small creak as Voldemort climbed up and put his arm around my shoulders protectively.

"I am not familiar with the Order's current torture methods, but I do know one thing: I'll never let them get to you."

"And what about you?"

"I can't protect you very well if I'm dead, can I?" he whispered in my ear, leaving a trail of kisses up my neck.

"I suppose not," I said, tilting my head up to give him better access to my neck and the underside of my jaw. His cold lips pressed firmly against them, slowly becoming warmer.

His kisses became longer and firmer. He began to grasp at my hair, and every now and then, he gently bit my ear. His kisses were strong and desperate. He was getting too rough, so I turned my head and his lips met mine. The kiss started strong, but gradually became gentle. Voldemort turned his head and looked away.

"Sorry," he said. I couldn't see his face. "I just had to do that."

I smiled. By now, I was a little turned on myself. I kissed his cheek and ran my hand down his arm. He shivered with the touch, and he returned the gesture. We kissed gently and romantically again, but over time, our kisses became stronger again. He had one hand tangled in my messy hair, and one wrapped around my back. My arms were wrapped around his waist, pulling him over to the side, so he could get further around my belly, and closer to me. Our hands were all over, exploring each other eagerly. His tongue brushed my teeth, and I eagerly opened my mouth. We held a long kiss before winding down, becoming softer with each other once more.

Voldemort moved around from my side to behind me. His lips trailed over the side of my cheek, neck, and ears. He kissed the top of my head, moving his arms from my back to around my waist, over my large tummy. I let myself lean back, resting the back of my head on his shoulders. My eyes closed and I sighed happily.

Our ears picked up the sound of the grandfather clock chiming from the floor below this one.

"You're officially overdue," said Voldemort, rubbing my swollen belly.

"So I am. Baby, won't you come out?" I laughed. "I have to admit that you might have been right. The tension keeps building, but so far, I haven't seen a spark to any battle. I'll hopefully pop within a few days, and then I'll be free to fight."

"No, you won't. I won't have you rushing into battle an hour after giving birth."

"How about a day?" I asked sarcastically.

"Maybe I'll let you fight for a few minutes. But what about the prophecy? Do you really think this will be the end of the war?"

"Who knows?" His eyes shifted over towards the wall. I followed his gaze, but he seemed to just be avoiding eye contact.

My eyes narrowed. "I think you do. Is there something you're hiding from me."

"Actually, that's why I came in here. You know that I was gone the whole day, correct?"

"How could I not?"

"I spoke to Grindelwald."

"Him? Why would you waste your time with him? You may have had the same ideals, but his power did not even compare to yours..."

"Bellatrix, he had the Elder Wand."

I gasped. _The _Elder Wand? The legendary Elder Wand, a wand so powerful that it could defeat any opponent of its master? I'd always thought it was just a fable, a silly make-believe object in a story.

It was really real?

"I always thought it was just a legend," I managed to whisper.

"No. It's real. And-"

"You killed him and took the wand."

"Not exactly. Who defeated Grindelwald?"

"Dumbledore! So Dumbledore had the wand?"

"Yes. I questioned Gregorovitch some time ago, who I knew had the Elder Wand at some point in his life, and I found that Grindelwald stole the wand from him. Grindelwald denied ever having the wand today, but I knew otherwise. I intruded his mind and found that it was taken from him by Dumbledore when he defeated him. Nobody was ever able to take the wand from Dumbledore. He died with it, and it was buried with him. So, I killed Grindelwald, hurried to Dumbledore's burial site, broke into it, and stole..."

He pulled a worn, textured wand from the inside pocket of his robes. He grinned.

"This."

For a moment, I just stared and blinked. Then it hit me. "You're after the Deathly Hallows."

"I'm after... what?"

"You're trying to get all the Deathly Hallows. You know... the three magical..." I trailed off. Voldemort seemed to have no clue what I was talking about.

"The Tales of Beedle the Bard? The Tale of the Three Brothers?"

"Bellatrix, I grew up in a Muggle orphanage. I didn't read wizards' children stories. By time I knew of my power I was too old for children's books."

I struggled to sit up. "It's always been a legend, but few believe it. Now that I see the Elder Wand, though, I can't help but wonder if there is some truth to the story. Perhaps the three brothers did not win their magical objects, but _made_ them themselves. Then, Beedle took the idea and turned it into a story. It's always possible."

"Do you know the story well enough to tell me?"

I finally pulled myself upright. "No. But the book is right on that shelf over there." I blushed and pointed to a thin book that looked slightly newer than the rest. "Narcissa and I bought it the other day, for the baby when it gets older. Most of the stories are quite silly; my parents rarely read them to me, but a few teach very good lessons." Voldemort brought the book over. "The Tale of Three Brothers has the idea that power is a negative thing, so I barely ever read it."

"Well, let's read it now. This could be important." He looked at me expectantly. "Well?"

"You want _me_ to read it?"

"Do you honestly think I'll ever be reading bedtime stories?"

"No."

"Well, you might as well get some practice."

"Um... okay." I cleared my throat nervously before reading slowly and purposely.

"_There were once three brothers who were traveling along a lonely, winding road at twilight..._"

I glanced up several times between pages. Voldemort's face was scrunched into concentration throughout the whole thing.

"... _And the he greeted Death as an old friend, and went with him gladly, and, equals, they departed this life._"

The was silence for a moment after I finished.

"That was absolutely ridiculous," he commented.

"I agree," I said, nodding my head. "Well, the story was." My voice dropped down to a strained whisper. "But now, seeing the Elder Wand, right here, with my own eyes, I think that there may be some truth to the Deathly Hallows."

"What are the Deathly Hallows? I didn't hear those words once throughout the entire story."

"Well, it's said that the three objects together as one, create the Deathly Hallows. The Elder Wand, the Resurrection Stone, and the Cloak of Invisiblity. The person who possesses all three objects is said to be 'The Master of Death.'"

"Meaning?"

"You'd be invincible," I hissed, grinning from ear to ear.

**Don't forget to review and vote! By the way, I'm sticking to the 10 review rule. :)**


	15. Chapter 15

**Thanks for the reviews, guys :) Very impressed! Please keep it up; it's a huge boost for morale ;)**

**The polls are open and up and my profile! Please vote! This benefits YOU! It's YOUR choice, so make it! :)**

Today was a study day.

Normally we had these sessions about once every two weeks. They were specific days that we set aside for research. Most of the time we would research horcruxes, the philosopher's stone, the properties of unicorn blood, and things of a similar nature. The point was to find some sort of permanent elixir or spell, something to keep us indestructible forever.

Our attention had since turned to the Deathly Hallows. Now that we knew at least one existed, we were desperate to find the rest. We not only believed that we could use them in a way to make us immortal, but that the Elder Wand was the first of three. The three in the prophecy.

Naturally, study days were very important. Although they did not know the purpose of these days, all Death Eaters were warned not to disturb us unless of an extreme emergency. So, you can imagine our surprise when the doorbell rang.

At first, I thought I was hearing it in my head. I looked up from my book and blinked a few times, hoping to clear my head, but Voldemort had looked up from his reading too, and he was regarding me with a similarly dazed expression.

He looked mildly frustrated at being interrupted from his work so I offered to see who it was.

He sighed and stood up, dog-earing the page he had been reading. "No, I'll get it. I don't want you getting hurt if this person is looking for trouble," he said, but he did not object as I trailed closely behind him.

We both leaned forward to peer out the front window. I straightened up and headed for the door. "It's just Tonks," I said. "And it looks like she brought Teddy."

I opened the door and Tonk smiled. "Hi, Aunt Bellatrix," she greeted. "Hello, sir," she said to Voldemort. "I hope this isn't a bad time, but I was finally able to escape from my mother. She went to get her hair done and do some shopping, so I was free to drop by."

I looked at Voldemort nervously, but he just shrugged. _To be honest with you,_ he projected through his mind, _I think we could both use a break._ I agreed with him.

"It's not a problem," I said to Tonks, who was unaware that any exchange had occurred between Voldemort and myself. "Besides, I haven't had a chance to properly meet Teddy, yet, and my husband hasn't seen him at all."

"Great! It's awesome to see you!" Sometimes I almost let myself laugh at her enthusiasm. She certainly had lots of energy.

When we sat down, she immediately offered to let me hold him. I hesitantly opened my arms. I'd never held an infant before, and I expressed my worries to Tonks.

"It's really not that hard," she responded. "It'll happen naturally."

She was right. As soon as Teddy was in my arms, he practically melted into them, and they bent in just the correct way to hold him securely. I couldn't help but smile as the blue-haired baby looked up at me with sleepy eyes.

"See? It's not that hard. Besides, you'll be doing this a lot, pretty soon. When are you due, anyways?"

"A week and a half ago."

She giggled. "Oh," was all she said.

"I suppose it's to make up for her previous lack of tardiness. Not once has she ever been late to a meeting," Voldemort commented.

"Oh, believe me," I replied, "I'd be early if I had the choice. I may be completely terrified, but I'm ready for this pregnancy to end. Right. Now."

We were all still for a moment. As expected, nothing happened, and I sighed in defeat, echoed by giggles from Tonks.

"Extremely impressive," said Voldemort sarcastically. "Not only was the timing perfect, that was extremely eventful, and you gave birth to a beautiful air baby." I laughed loudly, and was accompanied by a small chuckle from Voldemort, another fit of giggles from Tonks, and a chain of baby-laughs from Teddy, who was just imitating everyone else.

After the laughter had ended, Teddy let out an extra giggle, and as he did so, his hair turned the same shade of purple as his mother's.

"Does he do that a lot?" I asked. "The hair-changing thing," I clarified.

"All the time. According to my mother, his hair was black when he was born. By time she turned around, it had turned from black to ginger and from ginger to turquoise!"

We sat in silence for a minute, but I didn't mind. I never thought I'd say the word "cute" and say it in a positive manner, but Teddy _was_ cute, and I absolutely adored him.

Tonks looked a bit nervous, but she asked Voldemort, "Would you like a turn holding him?"

He looked stunned at the question, and for a moment, I feared he would be too shocked to answer. "I'm... not sure ... if I should... I mean..." He trailed off.

"Go on, he won't mind," she insisted happily. He mumbled something about not wanting to scare him in response.

"Here," I said, and I gently transferred Teddy into his arms. For a second, he froze up. I suppose it was natural. He didn't have a woman's maternal instincts. But after a moment or two, his arms worked their way into the right position, and he was holding Teddy just fine. He didn't smile at Teddy. He didn't talk to him. He didn't even rock him, but I knew he wasn't ignoring him. He was confused, and I could tell. He was studying the child's face very carefully, and Teddy seemed to be doing the same thing back. It was clear that he was deep in thought, and we let him stay like that. After some time, Teddy's hands waved around and he touched the side of Voldemort's face. He seemed taken aback, but he did not jerk back or pull the hand away, thankfully, not wanting to disturb him.

Tonks opened her mouth to say something, but at that moment, the fireplace roared with green flames, and Lupin's head appeared. "I'm sorry to cut things short, but Tonks, your mother is home early."

"What?" she asked incredulously.

"It started to rain, and it's really windy out. She probably doesn't want to be in the storm."

"Okay, I'm coming. Sorry, guys, that it had to be so short." She scooped Teddy up, and I was probably imagining it, but it looked like Voldemort was a little reluctant to say goodbye to him.

"No problem," I replied. "We wouldn't want her to yell at you."

"Thanks, I hoped you would understand."

She quickly shook hands with Voldemort and we kissed each other on the cheek. She bent down and touched my belly lightly, saying, "Bye, baby. Maybe you'll be kind to Momma, and we'll see your face next time we come around." She winked at me, and stepped into the green fire with Teddy.

My smile slowly faded away with the fire. I wasn't really in the mood to get back to research. I turned around, though, with a sigh, but stopped quickly.

Voldemort had a hand to his head, and the other on a wall, for support. His eyes were scrunched up in pain, and he was swaying back and forth.

"What's going on?" I asked. "What's wrong?"

He shook his head, and only gestured for me to come near. I hurried to his side as he only uttered, "Help," and I did my best to slide him to the floor gently before kneeling at his side. As I looked at his eyes, I immediately realized that he was somewhere else. He was in Potter's mind.

It took much less time than before. He had only been out for a minute or so before his eyes fluttered and focused on me.

This time he was not in a rage, but I could tell that something was wrong by the way he was staring at me, and the quick rising and falling of his chest.

I caressed his cheek and looked at him with concerned eyes. "What did you see?"

"The beginning of a battle."

"What?" I did not understand.

"I need to assemble the Death Eaters immediately," he said, standing up in a swift motion. "You are to stay here. You are not to follow, you are not to fight. Am I clear? Do some more research if you feel the need to be helpful." He began to walk away, but I wouldn't allow it. I rushed up to him and grabbed his arm.

"Stop! Don't go!" He paid no attention. "You can't do this to me!" I screamed, and he stopped. "What is this? What's going on?"

He grasped my hands, and I could now see the fear clearly in his eyes. "What's happening?" I asked in a scared whisper.

"My horcruxes," he said. He was shaking. "He knows about my horcruxes and he's been destroying them."

"What? How could he have known? Whatever, that doesn't matter! The important question is, how many did he destroy?"

"I... don't understand," he said, not even hearing my question. "I didn't even feel them being destroyed. I didn't know that pieces of my own soul were being destroyed."

"How many?" I almost screamed.

"Three," he responded, snapping out of his dazed state, and back into his panicked one. "Half. He destroyed the diary all the way back in his second year at Hogwarts. The ring was destroyed by Dumbledore a year before Snape finished him off. The locket was destroyed recently. He and the Weasley boy killed it with the sword of Gryffindor, which was impregnated with venom from my basilisk."

"The sword? They broke into our vault! How?"

"They did not. Otherwise the Hufflepuff Cup would be gone, too. Our sword is a fake. We've been betrayed, somehow, but it is for the best. At least the Cup is safe."

"Then why go into battle? We don't have the other two Deathly Hallows yet!"

"This may not be the end of the war, but this battle must happen. The connection between Potter's mind and my own is deeper than I feared. He knows that the diadem is at Hogwarts, and he is going to go look for it."

I gasped. "We have to protect it!"

"I do. The Death Eaters do. Not you. You could die, and I can't allow that to happen."

"No!" I clutched to the front of his robes and let my tears spill freely. "What if you die?"

"I can't put you at risk, Bella." He put his hand on my belly. "Not this either." His lips pressed to my forehead, and I saw a single tear slide down his cheek as he twirled into his dark cloud of Apparation. I let out a rough cry before sliding to the floor and sobbing uncontrollably at the thought of losing him without dying for him first.

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	16. Chapter 16

**I can only be so evil. Here's your chapter... nice and early :)**

There's a certain shock when everything goes wrong.

I cried for only some time. The tears fell fast, and I ran dry quickly. They were replaced with numbness. It spread through my whole body until I was barely aware of anything, with the exception of my rapidly beating heart and the child that squirmed inside me.

I wandered around the house aimlessly, and he was constantly on my mind. The kitchen, where I taught him to make a decent meal for himself. The library, where we read hundreds of books together. The living room, where we spent countless hours talking by the fire. The bedroom, where we slept in each other's arms. That long hall that we walked together all the time, right up to the mirror where I had first discovered I was pregnant with his child.

I studied myself once more. I looked healthier, with rosy cheeks, that special glow, fuller arms, and a round belly. But my hair was tangled and my nails were chipped. My eyes were puffy and bloodshot from all my useless tears.

I had panicked when I found out I was pregnant? I would go back to that moment right now if I could. I would relive it ten thousand times, just to make this not happen. A battle. We hadn't fulfilled the prophecy yet. Anything could happen.

I rested a hand on my belly, where it seemed the child was fighting a war of its own against the inside of my stomach. For once, I was too upset to care as it squirmed around so violently that it hurt.

Our baby. How would I even be able to care for it alone? I couldn't do it. I needed him.

I tried to do the things he said to do. I tried to read. The letters blurred each time and the brightness of the page hurt my eyes. I could not get into the words. I didn't absorb them and I couldn't understand them, so I tried to make a meal for myself. I opened all the wrong drawers, turned the oven on too high, and singed the ends of my hair as I reached for a pan. I tried to sleep, but my eyes kept snapping open and I could not distract my thoughts from him. The time I spent doing these things was nothing compared to what it felt like. I wandered from place to place, trying to be useful, or at least stop thinking about the battle, but nothing worked. The hour and a half that passed felt like a whole week.

I needed someone to talk to. Anyone. not even to talk. I needed someone to just be there.

I couldn't go see Narcissa. I knew that she would have wanted to be with Lucius and Draco just as much as I wanted to be with Voldemort. Besides, she had been training, polishing up certain skills that she hadn't used since Hogwarts. I knew she was doing well; I could see the grace that she moved with and her previously thin arms were bulging ever so slightly with new muscle. She would fight tonight, anything it took to be by her family's side.

I could not go to Andromeda, of course. She would be more sensitive than ever, with the battle going on.

A battle her daughter would fight in. Or at least try to fight in. Remus and Tonks would defend the ones they loved, but they most likely would not be on the offense, knowing that no Death Eaters would attack them. At least they were most likely safe.

Was Voldemort safe? Voldemort could survive. Our forces were strong and we had a good chance. Maybe this wouldn't be the end of the war. Besides, if he was killed, he would not truly be dead. He had three horcruxes left. But if he had to be reborn again, the process would be slow. And it would be painful. The thought brought fresh tears to my eyes. I didn't want him to go through that again. His horcruxes were only a slight reassurance to me.

As if the thought of horcruxes had summoned her, I heard a sliding noise on the floor, and I turned around to see Nagini.

"He's left you behind, too?" I was talking to her more for the purpose of speaking to _someone_, even if I knew she could not understand me.

"It's a horrible feeling, isn't it?"

I knew Voldemort and Nagini were close, though I had never paid much attention to her, as we could not understand each other. I had never understood the thought of having a pet you could not communicate with, except possibly an owl, because they were useful, at least. But just speaking to a living thing gave me slight comfort, while being so near to the snake he was close to gave me immense amounts of both pain and reassurance.

"I know he wants to protect us, but it isn't really fair is it? How come he gets to protect us, but we don't get to protect him?" Nagini turned and slithered away from me.

"Hey! Wait!" I said, following her. "I know you can't understand me, but I just need to say these things to someone! I can't stand talking to myself." Now in a different room, she stopped and waited for me to catch up.

"Maybe we can understand each other, in some way. There are other means of communication than words." She regarded me with a strange expression before moving away from me again, and she disappeared.

"What?" I exclaimed. It seemed like she had gone right through the wall. I searched around that area. "Nagini?"

Suddenly her head poked out. She _had _gone right through the wall. As I gingerly stuck my arm out, my hand vanished right through. Confused, I took a few steps forward and found myself past the barrier.

I was in a small, dark room that I had never seen before. Voldemort hadn't ever given me an official tour of his house when I moved in, seeing as I was weak at that time, but I knew the place like my own wand. At least, I thought I did.

"_Lumos,_" I whispered, and the room lit up. It was undecorated, with a cold cement floor and dusty walls. There was a small stone fireplace against one wall, but other than that, the room seemed empty, aside from various pieces of debris and a few dirty sheets.

However, upon closer examination, there was one sheet that seemed out of place. It was misshapen and lumpy. There was something under it. _Wingardium Leviosa_, I thought to myself, and I cautiously lifted the ragged piece of fabric off of its contents.

Broomsticks.

They didn't look broken or anything, just dirty, but I couldn't imagine what they were doing here. Voldemort didn't use brooms. He could fly without them. I came to the conclusion that they were probably from when he was younger, and he still used them as a means of transportation.

I decided to test one out. "Up," I commanded.

It flew up to my hand with wonderful precision. I flicked my wand and the dust vanished, revealing a spotless finish to the wood, without a single chip or dent. The broom was just like new.

I climbed on and flew slowly and carefully around the room. I hadn't ridden a broomstick for almost twenty years, not to mention that being heavily pregnant would not make it easier. I was pleased to find that my skills were just a little rusty. Sure, I wouldn't be doing flips and twirls like when I was younger, but I was able to control it just fine. And although the broom was old, it was a smooth ride.

The thrill lasted for only a few minutes, though. Soon, my thoughts were on Voldemort again. How long had he been gone? More than two hours! He could be dead by now. Well not dead, but...

"What do you want?" I snapped at Nagini, who was looking at me funny again. "I may have had my few minutes of fun, but I can't just stop thinking about him!" I exclaimed irritably.

She slithered over the fireplace and knocked over a small tin bucket. As she did, a fine powder spilled out and green flames burst up from inside.

"What?" I whispered. I looked back at her, and she was looking at me with such a fierce intensity that there was nearly no doubt in my mind of what she intended for me to do.

"You want me to go fight," I whispered. I hadn't even been considering going. Voldemort's words had been so purposeful, so powerful, and so intense as he ordered me to stay behind. I never even considered going against his wishes. He had been so commanding that it hadn't even crossed my mind.

I picked up the broom and my baby squirmed. _I know it's dangerous, little one, but what can I do?_

I hesitated at the fireplace. _He doesn't know what's best for him,_ I thought. _He needs you. And you need him. He thinks he is protecting you, but he is not. If he does not come back tonight, you will die anyways, because you will not be able to handle the pain._

But I knew it was so dangerous. I could not defend myself as well as usual. I could not risk myself or the baby like that.

"I'm sorry, Nagini," I said. My mind was made up.

"I'm sorry, but I have too much at risk. Thank you for showing this to me," I said, dipping my head. "But I will not be able to bring you along."

With that I smirked as I stepped backwards into the Floo. "The Hog's Head!" I cried, and Nagini hissed as the smoke engulfed me.

**SHE'S REBELLING! AH!**

**I'm so sorry.**

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	17. Chapter 17

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I carefully lowered my head as I stepped out of the dark fireplace. Immediately, I ducked behind the dusty bar amongst the dirty glasses, empty crates, and ragged cloth that was used to wipe off the grimy countertops. I sincerely doubted that anyone would be having a drink in the middle of a battle, especially in the normally deserted Hog's Head, but then again, people of odd sorts came in here, so I wanted to be sure.

"_Homo revelius_," I whispered, but the muggy air was still and quiet. I was alone.

I stood upright with some effort and brushed the soot off my clothing. The dark material of my cloak was thick, but it breathed easily, which I was thankful for, with this horrible heat. I grabbed my broomstick and mounted it.

I grimaced slightly and put a hand uncomfortably on my stomach as the baby shifted again. I frowned. I felt as if I was being scolded for acting recklessly.

"I know it's dangerous, love," I murmured, "but I can't very well sit and do nothing, can I? Besides, I've taken all possible precautions." It was true. I had added every protective charm that I could to my broom. I would not fall off, and besides, I would stay low to the ground. Otherwise, I might be spotted against the reddish clouds that reflected the fires that had started and the spells that were being fired.

I took off from the doorway, and I flew quickly and silently through the streets of Hogsmeade, only about a foot from the ground. Both of my hands firmly gripped the handle of the speedy broomstick, resisting the temptation to rub my sore belly that was pressed tightly against the handlebar, even though I was sitting securely on the broom. Flying while pregnant was certainly not pleasant, but I felt unsafe in no way.

As I came to the edge of the little town, I slowed. I could either go straight across the barren hills towards the castle, where I could now hear the distant shouts of the battle, or I could take a slightly longer route and fly through the Forbidden Forest. I decided on the latter of the choices. This whole adventure was dangerous as it was. There was no need to put myself in further peril by taking the risk of being spotted without the cover of the trees and the shadows that they created.

I willed myself to not be startled by every little rustling of the trees or hoots of owls. It was true that some horrid creatures lived in these woods, but what was I? Five years old? My wand was tucked into my left sleeve. I could easily defeat or at least outfly any beast that came at me. The encounter of one was unlikely, anyways. Most mentally capable creatures would be fighting, whether it be on their side or ours.

The second my rapidly beating heart slowed, however, it began to pump twice as fast, this time in the anticipation and thrill of battle. The cries that had faded as I circled around were now growing louder. At first they were random shouts, but then I began to make out some curses, and then full phrases that were either thrown at the enemy, or orders to teammates. Soon after that, I could not distinguish anything because of the sheer number and volume of all the people.

The trees were beginning to thin out, so I slowed to a stop and dismounted, this time ignoring the movements of my child. I would not allow a _baby_'s kicks to hinder my ability to move and fight. I would not allow for weakness.

I observed my surroundings carefully. I could now easily see the battling wizards and witches and the taste of battle was on my tongue.

I walked around slowly, looking for some sort of distinctive landmark that I could remember. Finally, a twisted tree caught my eye, and I rushed up to it. It was light brown and distinctly spotted with moss and it was bent into an unusual shape. If I needed my broom again for any reason, I would be able find it easily.

I drew my wand out of my sleeve and grasped it firmly with my right hand. Holding it out, I began to walk forward. For a while I walked at a medium pace, marveling at how much more of a hike it was than I had originally realized. By time the trees were really starting to thin out, I was slightly out of breath. I could now see the faces of the dueling people clearly, and the roar of the battle was nearly deafening. At this point, I began to creep forward slowly and carefully, as if a misplaced or rushed step would send me tumbling through the gates of Hell, not that I believed in such a place. Each step was painstakingly slow, but I knew better than to rush forwards, as it would cause lots of noise.

Of course the battle was loud, and nobody _should _hear me, but I wasn't going to take any chances. One little slip up could ruin everything. I had the habit of pausing between defeating each victim to take in my surroundings and to not let anyone sneak up on me. Chances were, someone on the opposing side would be doing the same thing, though they were more likely to see me than hear me, so I stayed low to the ground. Each time another tree came close, I would crouch behind it and stay there for a few seconds to slow my racing heart and panting breaths that were now from the anticipation, rather than a physical struggle. Normally I would observe my options and decide to crawl across the ground, or even climb a tree and jump across the branches so I could snipe the Order from above, but in my current condition, I obviously could not. I was itching to try the latter of the two, and I made a mental note to myself to try that the next time I was not with child.

Each step that I took, my toes touched the ground as softly as a feather falling. Next, the ball of my foot eased its way down. My heels never touched the ground. My knees were sore from bending, my legs burned from the strain, and my back hurt from bending over and from carrying that little person inside me, but I barely took notice, as adrenaline was coursing through my veins as fast as a snake's venom to its unfortunate victim's heart.

Of course I was not the victim to my adrenaline. My enemies most certainly were.

I had followed an insane route, it would seem to a person if they had been watching me, but there was a method to the madness. My path was carefully woven out of the light and empty spaces. I was constantly cloaked by the shadows or the trees in front of me that were decreasing in size. I was nearing the edge of the forest.

Peering around the tree I was behind, I realized that there was all open ground in front of me. Instead of most definitely being seen, I sighed quietly and circled back, going further to the right. This time, there was a long stone wall about twenty feet away from me.

The wall was so tall that I barely even needed to crouch behind it, for which my aching legs and back were thankful. Before I dashed behind it, I looked around for anyone who might be behind it, but there was nothing to see. No fighting was going on on this side of the wall, because the ground dropped into a huge hill about ten feet away from the wall. I edged down the length of it, hearing the ragged cries of conflict behind me.

My hands felt the end of the rough stone. The end of the wall was only a few feet from the edge of the castle, and they formed a nice little corner with enough space for me to crouch in. Even better, it was shielded by a few bushes that were thick enough to disguise me.

Making sure that there was nobody looking my way, I ducked into the hedges and situated myself in my little corner. It was the perfect spot.

I glanced around the battlefield searching for the man I came here and risked everything for, but my heart sank as I could not locate him. It was expected though. He would not come into battle unless necessary. I longed to be by his side, but since I couldn't, this was my next choice. I'd rather be involved that be sitting at home.

I scoffed at myself for even hesitating for a second. How could I _not_ come? My husband's pet snake had to betray his orders for me to see the light. But I supposed that wasn't important. In any case, I was here now, and that's what really counted.

My eyes scanned the mob of people for a good attack. My eyes narrowed on a small boy in Gryffindor robes. He couldn't have been more than fifteen years old, and he was short for his age. I knew he wasn't the Potter boy, but there were some definite similarities. Dark hair, green eyes, and big glasses. I aimed and fired a silent killing curse.

My heart soared as the green bolt of light shot through the air at alarming speeds and hit its target right over the heart. I had to fight the urge to scream in delight as his eyes widened the second before he was killed. Even from this far away, my eyes zoomed in on my victim. I saw every single hair split, every little skin cell lose its life. I could feel the blood coursing through his veins make a sudden halt. I could hear the silence of his heart and see the light leave his eyes. All the way from my little corner I could smell and taste the tang of death.

It was delicious.

It was hard to resist the urge to laugh. He was not Harry Potter, but his murder gave me some satisfaction.

I felt strong.

Invincible even.

This was a battle.

In every battle, I became the female warrior once more.

The female warrior raised her wand.

She prepared for her next kill.

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	18. Chapter 18

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Nothing could stop me now. I was more invincible than any potion, spell, or horcrux could ever make me. My victims didn't even have a chance to run because I struck out from the shadows. In some ways, this was more fun than fighting the normal way.

But a part of me still longed to be out there. These guerilla tactics were certainly fun, but it felt almost like cheating, which tended to take some fun out of the game. I longed to feel not only the thrill of the kill, but the thrill of a threat.

I wasn't stupid, though. I wouldn't let my desires put me in danger. I distracted myself by enjoying the fun things I could do to my enemies without them even seeing me. Experimenting was fun. I enjoyed killing my opponents in creative ways, but when I killed some of my victims in painful ways, I would feel a small throb from my middle. _You are not my conscience,_ I mentally hissed to my child, and went on with my killing spree. I levitated one shrieking witch into the air and dropped her from high above. She landed right on her neck with a wonderful crack and twitched for a few moments before passing on. I _Imperio_d a young wizard to _Avada Kedavra_ himself and I giggled at the expression of sheer horror that crossed his features as he did it.

Unfortunately, I did not spot Harry Potter or any of his close friends, as I would kill them if I could. But I satisfied myself by ending the lives of countless Gryffindor brats. I especially enjoyed the death of a whiny girl who was wearing a pink shirt under her Gryffindor robes. At the time, she was circled by her friends and allowing them to do all the work as she flipped her dirty blonde hair and complained about Death Eaters. With a sharp cackle, I pointed my wand on her and concentrated deeply.

She began to scream, and her friends turned towards her, stunned. Distracted, one of the girls was hit by a killing curse, but the others didn't even notice, as they were all shrieking, "Lavendar, what's wrong?" She clutched and scratched at her face, then neck, then body and legs.

"Water!" She screamed and I laughed, knowing that nothing could help her. As she scratched the top of her head, it finally ignited, and her body was soon engulfed in flames. She fell to the ground unconscious, but not quite dead. The remaining girls fled madly as Fenrir Greyback jumped in with a loud snarl.

"Well done," he said, licking his lips. "Just the way I like my meat!" He scooped up her body and I did not feel deprived of the kill, knowing that a brat like her deserved that fate.

But as I was aiming for a more elderly man to break all his already brittle bones, I was distracted by Lupin. He was not on the offense, as Death Eaters had strict orders not to kill him, but he and Tonks were here anyhow, to try and defend their allies. It was odd to see them like this, fighting against us, but I did not see them as our enemies.

That was not what caught my attention however. While Lupin's back was turned, one hooded Death Eater was slowly raising his wand and it was clearly pointed at Lupin. Anger surged through me, and I stunned him immediately. I was right on time too, because he had been whispering the Killing Curse under his breath, but the green light never left his wand. In fact, it was so powerful that the energy, with nowhere to go, backfired upon him. Not taking any chances, I set his corpse on fire. Filthy traitor.

I turned back towards the crowded battlefield, searching eagerly for the older man I was planning on killing. I intended to shatter his bones into billions of little splinters, taking advantage of the fact that his bones were most likely already weak from age. I squinted my eyes and aimed carefully. He was further away than before, but I knew if I concentrated, I could hit him. However, my attention was so focused on him, that I did not even notice three men jump over the wall until their feet hit the dry ground.

My head whipped around and my heart raced before I saw that they did not come for me. One of the men had been disarmed, and his wand had flown over the wall and rolled down the hill. I assumed that his friends had defeated his opponent, and they had obviously not come to retrieve it. They would not see me. The bushes on this side of me were thin and did not offer as much shelter, but it was dark, and if I stayed still I should be fine.

Right away, I knew these men were not Death Eaters. After a closer look, I could clearly identify them as members of the Order, though I did not know their names.

They were talking about who they wanted to kill and my blood boiled as one man mentioned Rabastan Lestrange. I was not particularly close to my former brother-in-law, but he was a good fighter and he was loyal to the cause.

I became more angry at the voice of the second man. "Why, I'd kill Lord Voldemort himself, if he'd stop chasing that poor boy Harry Potter around. Oh, wait! Even better! I'd kill that whore bitch that he calls his 'wife.' Wife, my foot! She's just there for him to sex up! The marriage probably isn't even legal! She doesn't even do anything anymore. She could be dead for all we know; nobody has seen her in months." I wanted to kill that man so badly. How dare he talk about me and Voldemort that way? Did he not know how powerful we were? We could kill him in an instant.

I probably would have if I had not heard the quiet, higher-pitched voice of the third, obviously a very young man, but not a child anymore. "I'd kill that little bastard, Draco Malfoy. When I graduated from Hogwarts, he was only a fourth year, but he acted like he ruled over the place. He's a brat, and now he's even a Death Eater. And he's part of the cause of Dumbledore's death, he is! If I could get my hands on him, I'd rip that little bug to-"

The man was cut off as a jet of green light flew through the air, seemingly out of nowhere, and hit him directly over the heart. His companions shouted in surprise as he crumpled to the ground.

Seething, I lowered my wand. Nobody threatened my nephew. Nobody.

"Where did that come from?" the first man with the deep voice shouted. Both men were facing my general direction, so I didn't dare to kill either, as my location would instantly be revealed.

"He was so young," the second one said. "Whoever did this will pay."

"That's good and all, but how do we find them?"

"Come out, come out!"

"Shut up! That won't work!"

The two men whispered together for a moment and I smirked into the darkness, expecting them to just give up and head back to the battlefield, where I would then finish them off.

What I didn't expect to hear were two cries of "_Lumos Maxima!_"

I was so startled that I dropped my wand and I nearly cried as it rolled down to the base of the hill. However, I also instinctively ducked my head at that moment, and my dark hair hid my pale face.

"I don't see anything."

"Me neither. Here, I'll go to this side, and you go to that side." The man who had spoken started in my direction.

I was trembling violently from the initial shock and now the intense fear I felt. Silently willing myself to stop shaking, I tried to keep still, but I panicked and lost my balance. My foot slipped. A twig snapped.

The two remaining men spotted me.

I knew in that instant that they had seen me. The recognition on their faces was undeniable and one whispered, "Bellatrix," under their breath.

Glancing at my wand at the base of the hill, I knew I had no chance of defending myself.

I pivoted and ran without a second thought.

I cursed myself for allowing myself to get into this mess. I shouldn't have done anything. I should have waited for the men to jump over the wall again and _then_ kill them. I shouldn't have allowed my temper to overcome my common sense.

Instead of running towards the men on the side of the wall that I had come from, I launched myself over the thicker bushes and through the battling people. As I wove through the fighting crowd, I realized that it might have been for the best. Maybe I could lose these men in the thick mass of people.

I dashed through the Gryffindors, Hufflepuffs, Ravenclaws, Slytherins, Death Eaters, Hogwarts professors, and members of the Order without a single glance. They were all too busy fighting each other to even notice the notorious murderer who happened to be heavily pregnant running past their Great Hall like a mad woman.

Soon, I was out of the crowds and onto open ground, gasping for air and feeling my stomach tighten up with cramps from all the running as I raced for the edge of the Forbidden Forest. My head whipped around to see if the Order members were still following me. Unfortunately, they were. Over my shoulder, I watched them push their way through the last of the people and continue their chase.

I knew I couldn't run faster than them. I had to hide somewhere, and fast, but I needed cover. It was dark with night, and I was wearing black clothes, but their eyes were adjusted to the dark, and the curses they shot at me lit up the air. Something told me to keep going, just run, and the other part of me said to turn around. Let them see I was pregnant and pray that they would have mercy. But would they? The answer was no. A person who kills has no reason to not be killed.

I wrapped my arms around my stomach and forced my feet to move faster. My heart raced so quickly it was painful, and I felt a cramp in my gut again, but I kept moving, spotting the forest up ahead. Maybe I could make it. The curses were all over the place, some far away, some flying right past me, which suggested that they only had the general idea of where I was. I didn't turn even slightly. The trees were close, but their footsteps were closer. I had the urge to pull out my wand and silence my feet, just in case my sound was directing them to me, but then I remembered that I did not have my wand, which was why I was running from them in the first place. I kept crashing through the grass, praying they wouldn't trace me by the sound. Thankfully, the grounds were not silent; chilling screams echoed around, as well as shouts of curses and the zapping noise they made.

My feet continued to pound on the ground and the spells got closer, and I heard a blast of sound as a killing curse just barely missed me. It shot past my ear to singe my hair, where it hit a tree in front of me that greyed immediatly and withered as I passed by.

A tree. I was close. The trees were closer together, the shadows deeper.

Just a bit more. I could hear their heavy breath ever so slightly, but the curses continued to fly without much accuracy. Miraculously, they didn't know where I was.

I spotted it suddenly and unexpectedly. The splotches of dark green moss were unmistakeable, and I was surprised and thankful to see it. I launched myself towards the tree, grabbing my broom and literally leaping onto it, beginning to fly before my tailbone even hit the handle hard and painfully. I laughed despite the new pain in my back and the throbbing of my legs and belly. I would be safe now.

"She's got a broom!" the man with the higher pitched, nasally voice shouted. "We can't let her get away!"

However, their voices were getting further away. I allowed a quick glance back. The men were not even pursuing me anymore. I laughed again, allowing myself to lose just a little bit of speed. They couldn't touch me.

I underestimated them.

A well-aimed curse caught the end of my broom, and it froze, flinging me off of it. It stayed hanging in the air, suspended and held by invisible chains as I landed on my hands and knees, barely preventing my belly from hitting the ground and having the baby crushed.

I gasped, the air knocked out of me and the panic returning. I tried to push myself up and my weak limbs failed me. I fell onto the ground again, hard.

I could hear their footsteps again. They were still far away, but they were gaining distance on me. It took all my will to get myself off the ground and start to run again.

The sudden burst of energy that had hit me the first time was no longer here. My legs were growing weak, my spine was aching, and my stomach was throbbing. I kept tripping over my own feet and I knew that the men were now close behind me.

Suddenly, I remembered something. I had come prepared. I dug deep into my right sleeve for my spare wand.

They were too close to duel and I was too tired to fight them. Plus, this wand was not a great match for me. But, I was able to hold them off a bit, as I shot curses blindly over my shoulder.

A cry of pain told me I had hit one of my targets with a stinging jinx. But it was not much reassurance. The voice was closer than I thought the men were, and my legs were starting to feel like jelly. I was beginning to think that I had no chance.

Then I found something that would save me.

It was a thick tree with a large knotted trunk and wide branches. There were not many other trees around it, and that was part of the plan. They would never expect it.

I winced at the next jab of pain, but I was driven now, determined to make it. My breaths were heavy, my lungs straining, my belly hurting, but I was almost there.

Just as one of the men shouted, "I see her!" I ducked behind the sheltering wood and held up my wand, just in case, but they continued forwards, following the deer that they had mistaken for me. There was a shout of "Shit!" as they realized their mistake.

I tried to slow my panting breaths as they turned around. They continued to shout at each other and curse in frustration as they came back towards my tree. I could see that a few yards away, they were distracted by the Whomping Willow, and in their anger, continued to swear, throwing rocks at the knot in the wood, and shouting as one of them hit it and the branches froze. Now hungry for revenge, they headed back towards the castle to look for more Death Eaters to fight.

They did not come my way, thankfully, but they continued to search hopefully, shining their lights out into the darkness and calling my name mockingly. But even as they got further away, my thudding pulse did not slow.

I still held my wand out limply in front of me, fearfully peering out at the men who had chased me. I had no reason to be afraid anymore, but I felt my heart thudding violently in my throat.

Suddenly, pain went through me again. I groaned, clutching my round stomach as I tried to stand the strong throb that pulsed through it. I breathed heavily, trying to get the extra oxygen through my body.

The men faded into the blackness and their shouts went with them. I was left in the dark, silent woods, only hearing the whistling of the wind and the hoot of owls. In a minute, when I was sure everything was safe, I would slowly make my way back. This time, I would be extra careful to not be seen.

Then, there was a sharp jab, and I let out a rough cry. This time it was agony. The spasm was unbearable, unlike anything I had ever felt before. I clenched my bulging middle tightly as another screech tore itself from my throat. There was a burst or pop from somewhere and involuntarily, my wand rained glowing scarlet sparks.

I wouldn't accept it. I had to get back. If I couldn't do that, then I needed to at least get closer, close enough to call a Death Eater. I desperately tried to move, but each time I lifted my leg, I shrieked in agony.

Moaning, I slid to the ground, all plans of returning or even getting closer vanishing. I had to claw at the tree to prevent myself from falling quickly. Every part of me was shaking in fear and torture. I had the urge to vomit. I had the urge to cry. I could do neither. I was frozen in my heap on the ground, completely paralyzed from complete and utter terror that I had never felt before. I shivered, feeling horribly sick. I was overheated from the muggy weather and the physical strain, but the sweat chilled me and the wind swiped across my face. Sweat coated every inch of my skin, but I could tell the difference. My legs didn't feel right. I was miraculously able to guide a shaking hand up my skirt, and felt the drenched insides of my legs. I brought my trembling fingers up to my face, and even in the dark I could see the mostly clear substance with tiny smudges of red, confirming what I had already known.

"No...no," I gasped, hands desperately gripping at my sizable stomach. "Why now? Oh Merlin, FUCK!" I had completely given up. I couldn't move two inches from here. I could barely continue to sit upright. I bent over in pain again, tears escaping from my tightly shut eyes.

My water had broken.

The baby was coming.

I was utterly helpless and alone.

**Yes I am evil. No I don't hate Bellatrix. Maybe I will put Bellatrix through torture for a good story. No this is not the last chapter, that'd be stupid. I'm not that evil. ;)**

**Damnit this means I have to have another speedy update or I might just kill you all by accident from the suspense. :( This will all be terribly confusing for someone who doesn't check for updates frequently.**


	19. Chapter 19

**Scared? :) The suspense will no longer frighten you, dear children. You are being rewarded for your faithful reviews.**

**You better like this chapter because I've been working on it since 10:00 this morning.**

**WARNING: I have had a rapid succession of updates. Make sure you've read all previous chapters or you will be eaten by spoilers. :O**

There's no worse feeling that the knowledge that you are hopeless.

I tried to move. I tried to just stand up. I tried to do something, anything at all, but I could not even lift my wand to cast a simple _Lumos_ so I would not be in the darkness.

I had honestly not been so terrified in my entire life. I liked to be in control, but here, right now, I had no control. I was in labor and there was not one damn thing I nor anyone else could do about it.

What was I even saying? Did I hear my own thoughts? I was giving birth in the Forbidden Forest! I was an idiot! My fear was building upon itself to the point where all four limbs, every fiber of my being could literally not move. And although I told myself that the fear was what was mostly hindering my ability to do anything, the thought terrified me even more, and I was stuck in a constant cycle of building terror.

I had ceased to do anything productive. I no longer tried to move back towards the battlefield. My loud cries had become feeble ones, and eventually, whimpers. I rocked back and forth, tears silently pouring out of my eyes. I was incapable of anything.

Sobbing, I allowed my mind to wander away from me and for the first time since I was young, I let myself have wishful thoughts. I could be back home right now. I could be in his arms right now. If I hadn't come at all, maybe I wouldn't have even gone into labor. What if it was all the movement that had started it?

I hated Nagini. I hated the men who chased me. Most of all, I hated myself for being so selfish, and so weak.

_Pull yourself together! Get out of this panic, and get out of here! It's too dangerous here by yourself. You need help, quickly._

The words of wisdom in my head were futile; I did nothing but let my tears fall and let the throbbing pain inside my belly numb the rest of me. I closed my eyes, wishing to be far away from here, anywhere else, with someone, anyone...

And then I was alert. My eyes snapped open, my wand shot up, and my head turned, looking for the source of the rustling noise that I had just heard.

_It's just leaves, Bellatrix, just leaves. Take deep breaths. Getting all worked up isn't helping you..._ Reluctantly, I closed my eyes once more, but my mind was still ready and my wand rested on my ballooning middle, my hand grasping it firmly.

It was just leaves. Just leaves.

And the steps I was sure I heard?

Just noises from the battle that was distant in my ears.

The wind was certainly warm and uneven, tonight.

Who was I kidding? There was someone or something directly behind me, breathing gently on the back of my neck. But perhaps, if I stayed still, he or she... or it... would think I was dead.

Of course, that was not to be. My first real contraction came, and I hunched over, breathing unevenly and cursing myself for allowing my body to bend over involuntarily. My teeth were snapped together. I ground them, preventing myself from making noise, but I was too weak and in too much pain. I groaned, and the groan turned into a cry.

This thing was breathing right on me now. Slowly, very slowly I readied my wand, and opened my eyes just a crack. All I saw was darkness.

I opened them a bit more. I saw the outline of the creature. It was surely not human. It was a four legged beast, slightly bigger than the average horse. My heart jumped and I expected the worst.

But as my lids fully opened, I felt a sense of relief.

It was a thestral.

It was looking at me with what seemed to be curiosity, and I was actually able to laugh a bit, patting the end of its nose gently. Care of Magical Creatures had been my worst class in school, but I had taken a certain interest in the thestral. I thought thestrals were wonderful creatures. Even though they looked scary to some people, I thought they were beautiful, and despite their daunting looks, they were very gentle.

Logically, the thestral shouldn't have been much comfort to me, but having some company helped to ease some of my pain and panic.

The white eyes of the magnificent beast studied me carefully, and the bat-like horse stretched its neck downwards. It-I checked-_she_ sniffed my face and licked it softly. She then sniffed my wand and then my belly.

"I'm going to have a baby," I explained, as if she could understand. "Now, in fact. And quite frankly, I've never been so helpless in my life." She looked at me again with a new expression in her eyes. Sadness?

Maybe she could understand. Well-trained thestrals or ones that had been exposed to humans a lot often understood us. They were smart creatures.

"I need help. I know you're not an owl, but can you take a message to someone for me? Please? I-I don't know what I'm going to do. I need help so badly." However, she stomped her foot and shook her head, backing away.

"Then... please... just stay with me."

She tilted her head and flapped her great wings. Then, miraculously, she laid down next to me.

"Thank you," I whispered, and I closed my eyes. My hands cradled my bump, gently stroking it, and my wand rested below it, on my lap.

I was still in shock and panicking, but at least I no longer worried about an unfriendly beast or person finding me. The thestral would protect me. I just needed to worry about the labor part now, though I knew that was easier said than done.

She was apparently not happy with me, however. She licked my arm and nudged it with her nose. I opened my eyes wearily at her. She did not seem to be pleased, and she bit my arm lightly.

"What?"

She shook her head, seemingly in frustration, and before I knew what was happening, she had grabbed the back of my dress and had pulled me onto my hands and knees. I was too shocked to do anything, as she stuck her head beneath my arms and pulled me closer. Then, her head moved quickly towards her body, and I was flung partially onto her back.

"You want me to _ride_ you?" I asked in astonishment. Thestrals would often carry people on their backs if ordered, but never had I heard of a thestral _trying to get a human to ride it._

As if to answer my question, she nudged me with her wing.

"I appreciate the offer, but I don't think that will help," I stuttered, still shellshocked. "I'm too weak to go any significant distance." By now, I was fully on her back anyways, with my hand firmly gripping her mane. Despite my words, she stood and began to walk, but not towards the school like I had expected.

In fact, we were going deeper into the forest, but something made me trust her to lead me to a safer place. We moved slowly, and we were barely twenty feet away from my tree when she came to a stop.

"What now?" She was staring intently at the Whomping Willow. "We can just go around it." She shook her head again. I sighed and whispered, "_Immobilus,_" and the thick branches stopped dancing around. She brought me right to the trunk of the tree, where she laid down softly.

"What was the point of-" I cut myself off, noticing a large hole right next to us. With great effort, I pulled myself off, and looked closer at it. I could see stairs leading down into a tunnel.

"Th-thank you. How did you know?" She blinked solemnly. "I don't know how you knew of this place, or what good it will do me but -ungh- wow, I hope that passage is short," I gasped, winded from a sudden pain. Her eyes sparkled with mirth, and she turned away as I eased myself through the hole she had led me to.

I quickly saw why she didn't follow me. The thestral was small for her breed of winged horse, but the passage would have been too small even for her. Somehow, even without her, I found the will and energy to move on, however. The promise of safety and maybe even help encouraged me to do whatever it took to get to the end of this tunnel.

The deeper I traveled, the darker it got. My hands felt along the walls that every now and then I leaned against, fighting off my exhaustion. My sore feet dragged, my legs ached, my head thobbed, and my tummy was full of fire, of course, but even in my miserable state, I now found myself determined, rather than discouraged, to reach the end. The twisting tunnel thankfully never became pitch black. After what seemed an eternity of agony, I saw it growing lighter with each corner I turned, and it gave me yet another burst of energy and strong will, even as my pain increased. I could have kissed the wooden door that I finally met, if not for the splinters I would surely receive.

Instead, I turned the handle and it opened with a creak. I gasped at the horror inside.

There was blood everywhere. The mostly barren room was stained in scarlet, and I wondered what this thestral had actually been trying to do to me. This did not seem like a safe place.

I stared at the dreaded corpse in the corner and wobbled painfully towards it, my arms protectively wrapped around my huge belly. I peered down at the face.

Snape.

For a second I panicked. Was an Order member hiding in here? My question was quickly answered as I noticed that the holes in his neck were in pairs.

They were snake bites from none other than Nagini. She had somehow found her way here.

I could feel the remains of powerful magic in the air and corrected my thoughts. She had found her way to Voldemort, and Voldemort had ordered her to kill Snape for whatever reason. My curiosity was quenched by my deep pain, though, and I decided to keep looking around for some place to rest.

There was another room and I barely looked around before collapsing onto the bed, no matter how filthy it was. Now, I freely groaned and massaged my enormous middle, glad to at least be in some sort of comfort as I gave birth.

My labor was fast, I could tell, compared to average childbirth. I did not know the exact time that had passed, but I estimated that two hours had gone by before my contractions were only fifteen minutes apart. However, I was definitely in much more pain than Tonks had been in when she gave birth to Teddy. Each contraction felt like a living hell. They felt like horrible cramps multiplied thousands of times, and I had barely felt anything so awful in my life. I was not even sure that the Cruciatus Curse could compare to this. I remembered how Tonks had groaned each time one came around. I was completely unable to keep an unearthly scream from tearing itself from my throat each time one came to me. My entire body was coated in sweat and I shook violently from a combination of fear and pain. My breaths were raspy and uneven and my entire face was drenched in tears.

I was breaking down. I kept hearing awful noises outside and horrible creaks inside. By this time, I had figured out that I was somehow inside the Shrieking Shack, and if that wasn't enough to terrify me, I could not stop seeing Snape's bloody, mauled corpse in my mind that I knew was in just the next room over. My pain magnified my fear ten times over, not to mention the fact that I had no clue what was happening to my body at all. I was so scared. I felt as if I was about to die.

I hated myself for doing it, but I needed someone here right now. And I wasn't talking about just anyone. I needed a very specific someone by my side at this instant. He was the only one who could make all these things disappear.

Voldemort would be so mad at me, though. I studied my Dark Mark. Not only for calling him away from battle, but coming in the first place. I couldn't stand to see the disappointment and fury in his face.

I screamed horribly, feeling the worst contraction yet. I was convinced that my muscles were on fire. Tears streaming down my face twice as quickly as before, I gave in, and I sobbed as I touched my right hand to my Dark Mark.

I heard nothing and did not feel his presence. Perhaps he would not come. Perhaps that was for the best. Perhaps it was what I deserved.

But less than a minute later, I distinctly heard, "Bella? Bellatrix?"

I whimpered very quietly.

I could breathe again as I identified the voice as his. "Bellatrix?"

He stepped into the room and looked around, but his eyes were searching blindly in the darkness that they had not fully adjusted to. "Bellatrix? Are you in here? Where are you?"

I tried to say, "Here," but only a sob of both pain and relief escaped my lips.

His eyes darted my way, but they could not find me. He lit his wand carefully, and his face changed from an expression of caution, to relief, and then worry.

"Why-What are you doing in-" He was searching for words, but another cry of agony cut him off.

"You-Why are you... You're in labor," he breathed the last part. I could only respond with more sobs and my frantically nodding head.

He stood in the doorway in stunned silence, blinking his eyes, and I feared that he would do nothing at all, but he pulled himself together and rushed to my side, quickly conjuring a chair at the side of the bed.

I waited for the furious questions to hit me, but they did not. He stroked my hand before only asking, "How long?"

"Only a little more than t-two hours, but-"

"The contractions?"

"I-I've been counting in my head... I think the latest was fif-fifteen minutes after the one before it."

"Bellatrix... I have to..."

"G-go right ahead. It's n-n-nothing you haven't seen - before."

He peeked under my skirts and his face came up pale. "No, it's something I haven't seen before."

"It's crowning?"

"What?"

"Do-d-do you see the head?"

"No, but you're... you're..."

"Dialated?"

"Yes..."

He came back to my side and wiped my tears away, which only made me cry more. "You're close," he finished hesitantly.

He sighed. "How did you get into this mess?" I knew the question wasn't meant to be answered, but I felt like I owed him to at least tell him.

"I- I couldn't stay at home. I wanted to do something. Nagini, she led me to this secret room that had brooms, and she knocked over the Floo can. I realized what I had to do.

"I Flooed myself to the Hog's Head, and w-went through the Forbidden Forest. Then I hit people from behind some bushes, but as I k-killed an enemy, two of his friends saw me and they -ch-ch-chased me. I almost got away on my broom, but they cursed it, and I fell off. I ran until I was able to hide behind a tree, but - but then, my w-water broke," I said emotionally, starting to cry all over again.

He swiped my sticky hair out of my face. "You're sweating," he stated. "We should get these thick clothes off of you." He vanished my heavy cloak, dress, and undergarments, and he conjured a lightweight sheet over me.

"Thank you," I croaked, already feeling much cooler.

"Why didn't you call me as soon as you went into labor?"

"I didn't want to mess things up," I said. "I tried to get close enough to call a Death Eater to help me or find Narcissa, but I was too weak. I only got here because..." I trailed off as a thought hit me.

"Voldemort, where is Nagini?"

"Nagini? ... Nagini is dead." I gasped in surprise.

"What?"

"She was killed in battle."

"I'm so sorry."

"Don't worry," he reassured me, "I have the diadem, and the cup is safe in our vault."

At that moment, great pain washed over me again. Bending over, I cried freely and unashamedly, having no more strength to control my sobs and screams. Voldemort gripped my hand firmly, and I squeezed it tightly, grateful that he didn't tell me things like, "You'll be okay," or, "It'll be over soon." Those were not words I wanted to hear, and I was glad that he helped me through it in silence.

"Do you have any clue how long it's been since the last?" he asked with concern.

"Maybe a little more than ten minutes," I replied through my teeth, as the last of the agonizing spasm passed.

"Voldemort... Is he dead?"

"Who?"

"The Potter boy! Is he dead?"

"Bellatrix... this is not the time. You're giving-"

"I know I'm giving birth! I'm quite aware of that! Just please, talk! I need you to distract me from the pain," I explained desperately.

"You're sure?"

"Yes!"

"All right," he said. "The boy is not dead. I thought I had killed him, but it turns out, please don't be upset, that I accidentally made him into a horcrux."

"What?"

"I told you to not get upset. When I killed Harry Potter's parents, and tried to kill him, it seems that somehow part of my soul attached itself to him. I do not know how or why, but the boy was my horcrux."

"Was?"

"I hit him with the Killing Curse. There is no other way that he could possibly be alive. This is the only explanation I can think of."

"But after that? Did you not have another chance to kill him?" I asked, wincing as I spoke.

He placed his hand on my swollen belly, saying, "I almost did. You called me as I was about to strike him."

I froze. No, I couldn't have heard right. It was my fault that Harry Potter was not yet dead. Even my tears stopped for a moment before they flowed freely and even more quickly than before.

"Bellatrix, don't feel guilty. I think you may have actually saved my life."

"D-don't feed me false shit to make me feel better. I-I don't want it!"

"I'm telling the truth. I'll have to explain. I assume you saw Snape on your way in."

"Y-yes."

"It seems that his death, was in fact, unnecessary. I killed Snape because he ended the life of Dumbledore, thinking that Snape had the allegiance of the Elder Wand. However, it seems I may have been mistaken."

"How?"

He stared at me intently. "Draco disarmed Dumbledore before Snape killed him."

"Don't tell me you have to kill Draco!" I cried, alarmed and upset.

"Calm yourself, Bella. Draco is not my target. During the battle, Draco lost his own wand to Harry Potter. This means that the allegiance of the wand has shifted to the Potter boy. In that moment that I was about to kill him, I was blinded by my anger and astonishment that he still lived, but now I realize that if I had tried to kill him, I would have failed, and in fact, reduced myself to a soul without a body once more."

"What? How could that happen?" I asked, hunching over immediately after I spoke, and screaming with the torture that came over me. I rocked back and forth, wishing that there was something I could do to stop the pain.

"Can't you do-anything?" I asked him through my flooding tears.

"I would do anything and everything if I could, but I don't know what is potentially dangerous. But, if you wish, I can get Narcissa for you. I know where she is."

"No," I gasped. "I don't want you to leave me. Besides, I don't think there's enough time. That one was only about five minutes apart from the last."

"Should I check?"

"I don't think there's any need to. I can feel that I'm not ready yet, unfortunately. Just- just continue with what you were saying."

"If you're sure, fine. The Elder Wand can not kill or physically harm its owner. Since Harry Potter has the allegiance of the wand, well, bad things would have happened. I'm not sure what the results would have actually been, but it wouldn't have ended well for me. But since I am in possession of the wand, at least Harry Potter cannot use it to defeat me. I will find another wand to use, and perhaps even have a new one made for me with similar properties of the Elder Wand. Then, when I kill Potter, the Elder Wand will truly be mine."

"And we can search for the other Hallows."

"Yes."

"V-Voldemort."

"What's wrong?" he responded.

"I'm... scared."

"I know," he said, hesitating afterwards before admitting, "I am too."

"But I'm not just afraid of having the child. I'm afraid of everything that's happening to me. I've never been in so much pain."

"You're so close, Bellatrix. It'll all be over soon."

"Voldemort," I said again.

"Yes, Bellatrix?"

"If... if I die-"

"Don't say that!" I nearly jumped in surprise. "Don't you dare even say that!" he shouted, anger flaring for a moment in his eyes before he said more softly, but insistently, "You know I won't let that happen."

My only reply was desperate sobbing. Another contraction had hit me like a brick, and it lated a long time. I clutched my stomach in agony and screamed at the top of my lungs. I could do nothing else.

"Tell me- tell me more," I panted. "Anything. Ta-talk to me." My words were followed by a loud groan.

"What if you're-"

"I'm not! I'm not ready yet! Just tell me... how did you get away?"

"I just said to him, 'You won't win, Potter. I'm too strong. We will meet again, but for now, I have more important things to do.' I told the other Death Eaters to go home, that we would meet another day. Then, I just Apparated to the other room in the Shrieking Shack."

"You just left him? Just like that? I would kill to see the expression on his face."

"Yes, it was quite entertaining, though I have a feeling that you would do the killing part anyways. Though, I do have to ask Bella, even though I'm relieved you found somewhere to rest, how did you get in here?"

He clearly expected a response, but my lips moved silently. "Bellatrix?"

"I-I...I" I stuttered incomprehensibly, eyes wide. I sucked in air and held it in my lungs, my brow furrowed and my fists clenched tight.

"Bellatrix! What's wrong?"

"I-I'm ready-now."

He went to the other end of the bed. "Yes, you are. Are you...?" The question trailed off, but I knew he had meant to ask if I was pushing now.

His question was clearly answered by the moans and screams that followed. My hands gripped the sides of the bed so tightly that my knuckles were probably white, not that I would check. My head was tilted downwards and my sticky hair was thrown over my face. Seeing spots from having my eyes squeezed shut, I began to feel dizzy, but I put all my energy into forcing the child out of me. I almost pitied Voldemort, who was down by my feet, while I kicked them as I strained. Almost. I felt guiltily satisfied as one foot connected with the side of his body. He had no idea what torture I was going through. Every muscle was tensed up and straining. I was certain that my sweat was pouring from my pores as quickly as the tears were flowing from my eyes. The initial relief that I had gotten when my clothes were removed was long gone. I could have been in a desert for all I knew, but I did not have the time or will to have Voldemort cast any charms to make the room cooler. The sheet had slipped down to just cover my lower portion, and then to cover not much at all, as it had been hiked up past my knees so the baby could come, but I was obviously too preoccupied to care. The moisture of my skin made it cling to my still round waist, and it was partially wrapped under my right thigh.

I don't know how long it took, except that it was far too long for my liking. I barely heard the words, "Bellatrix! You're almost done!" over my constant screaming. My arms were shaking and my hands were clutching the sheets so hard that my fingernails had broken through the cloth and were digging into my palms. But I could feel that I was at the end and I put in my very last bit of effort into a long, straining push. My voice had reached its maximum volume, the heels of my hands were bleeding, and my tears had nearly run dry at that last moment, but suddenly, I knew it was all over, and I fell silent as something finally slid completely out., falling backwards in exhaustion, and barely keeping my head up.

The sudden silence was horrible. After all the pain and suffering, there was nothing. My chest heaved even though my breath was held and my head fell back, my eyes still closed, waiting, willing to hear-

Cries. Soft little cries.

They were so quiet at first, so tiny that I couldn't have heard them unless I was searching for them, but I could finally breath again. I sucked in fresh air, letting the oxygen do its healing work on my physically and emotionally exhausted body, and my eyes that had been shut tightly were now gently closed. The little sounds from my child, my little newborn baby, were music to my ears that I never thought I'd appreciate so much. They began to grow louder, and my own painful tears became tears of relief and joy.

"Voldemort, how is the baby? Is our baby okay?"

For a moment he did not respond. "How is the baby?" I insisted.

"Perfect," he finally said.

Perfect. It was the second relief that came to me. Voldemort thought he was perfect, and that was more than I ever could have asked for. Maybe our little boy would be just like him. I'd make sure he grew up strong, and I'd ensure he was always proud of his heritage. I'd keep him just perfect. Perfect forever.

"He's perfect? He really is?"

"No..."

"No? What's wrong with him?" I asked, heart sinking.

"Nothing. _She_ is perfect."

My eyes snapped open. Did I hear incorrectly? Wincing from my sore muscles, but pleased nonetheless, I struggled to pull myself up on my elbows. "The baby is a girl?" I asked incredulously.

"We have a girl, Bellatrix."

I sat completely upright. "No way," I gasped. "No fucking way." He smirked proudly as he handed the squirming little infant to me.

She was a girl, and I could not help but agree that she was perfect in every way possible. I never thought I'd ever say that. Infants were quite the sight when they were fist born, and this little child was no different. She was red, wrinkly, and sticky, but something about her was different, and maybe it was the fact that she was mine.

I was amazed at her little fingers, curling and straightening. I put one of my free fingers in her palm and she grasped it surprisingly firmly.

Voldemort was sitting by my side now, and he ran his fingers through my hair as I smiled at him. As I looked back at the little child, her eyelids fluttered and opened for the first time.

It took all my strength to preserve my dignity and prevent myself from going, "Awwwwwwww..." The first thing she saw was her mother's face, and after a second she stopped wailing. Her waving hands met my face, and she felt it, blue eyes shining with curiosity. I kissed her little forehead, somehow feeling love more powerful than almost ever before.

"My little baby. I can't believe I'd ever be saying that," I said softly.

"I expected to say it even less. But... Now that I'm saying it, I'm glad I can."

"You mean it?" I asked. "Did you really mean it when you called her perfect? I mean, she's not the little boy you wanted."

"She's not the little boy I wanted. But now, she's the little girl I want. I mean what I say, Bellatrix. I wouldn't change her for the world."

"From you, that _means_ the world," I sighed.

"We never talked about it much, and I know that's partially my fault, but we need to name her."

"I know. Do you have any ideas?" I asked, offering him the honor.

"No, but you kept trying to bring it up, so I assume you do?"

I did have a name for her, even though I didn't know quite how it had come to me. I had wanted to come up with names, but Voldemort never _had_ wanted to discuss it. I never did any research, but only a few weeks ago, a name suddenly came to me out of nowhere as I was drifting off to sleep.

"I think I do."

"Is it as perfect as she is?"

I laughed. "Maybe."

"Let's hear it then."

I smiled at my little girl who was looking back and forth between her father and me. Her eyes froze to my face as the grin spread across it, and the corners of her mouth rose slightly as she tried her first smile.

"Lilith. You are Dark Princess Lilith."

**Since Bellatrix's dignity is preserved, I will gladly give up mine: Awwwwwwww...**

**There you are! Bellatrix and Voldemort are somehow parents of a beautiful little girl :) Wow... who let me near a keyboard?**

**Haha just kidding... There should be two chapters left... so don't leave me yet!**

**For Dark Princess Lilith's sake, please review (and send your blessings to her) ;)**

**Love, DPN!**


	20. Chapter 20

**:) One more chapter after this, guys! Who's excited for As Luck Would Have It, because it won the poll to be the next story! :)**

**I have the official summary up now for the story, so you can read it on my profile.**

**I've been taking art lessons, so there are lots of new pictures on my DeviantArt. :)**

**Thank you guys soooooooooooo much for all the reviews. I love you all :)**

"Dark Princess Lilith. I like it."

I smiled gratefully. "Good, because I can't think of anything else. In fact, we have to think of a middle name too, don't we?"

"Middle name, yes... Except for the fact that she doesn't really have a last name."

"Oh, do shut up about that. It's you're fault for not having one for yourself," I retorted, but my lips were turned up in a cheeky, yet tired, grin as I said it.

"I suppose it is."

"Well, I gave her her first name. I think she deserves a middle name from you."

"Um... Bellatrix?"

"Yes?"

"No, I'm not asking you a question; I'm suggesting Bellatrix as a middle name."

I wrinkled my nose. "Oh, no, don't name the poor thing after me! Poor girl!"

"Well then, how about some sort of variant?"

I smiled thoughtfully, and stroked the small patch of dark curly hair on Lilith's head.

"Okay, but not Isabella. There was a girl named Isabella in Hufflepuff when I was in Hogwarts, and I didn't like her."

"What about Abella?"

I looked up in surprise. "I actually think that fits very nicely," I replied. "Lilith Abella. I like it. I like it a lot."

At that moment, Dark Princess Lilith Abella started to cry.

"What's wrong? Is she hurt?" Voldemort asked in concern.

"No," I giggled, "she's just hungry, probably. Come here, Lilith." I held her to my breast, and she immediately latched on, obviously very hungry.

"...Oh."

"Though Narcissa has warned me about this: she may cry sometimes for no apparent reason."

"None at all?"

"I guess babies just like to cry," I replied as I looked down at the little bundle in my arms. "But can you please conjure a blanket for her? I know it's cooling off outside, and I don't want her to get cold."

He did so, and she shifted in the little bundle. She looked more comfortable, and I was glad that I asked.

"Are you cold at all?" he asked, noticing that I didn't really have anything on at all.

"Quite the opposite, actually. Childbirth, I've discovered, is quite the physical strain," I laughed, though I did wrap the sheet around myself, just to be slightly more modest. Though, I suppose, it didn't really matter. After all, he was my husband, and it wasn't anything he hadn't seen before.

"What about godparents?" I asked.

"Another thing we didn't think of at all."

"I know, this shouldn't have been allowed. How did we let ourselves be so unprepared?"

"Do you have any ideas at all?"

"Well, I was thinking of Tonks and Lupin, but they didn't name us as Teddy's godparents, even though they were thinking about it."

"They were?" he asked incredulously.

"Yeah, but Andromeda is so pissed at us that she basically forced them to make the _Potter_ boy godparent, of all people, just out of spite!"

"What about Narcissa and Lucius, then?"

"No. Draco's godparents are friends that they had in school. Cissa didn't want me leading Draco into violence or danger, since I would be such a big influence as his godparent."

Voldemort looked carefully at the little bundle who was now sleeping peacefully. He suggested, "Why not Draco, himself then?"

I couldn't stop a huge grin from spreading over my features. "That's perfect. And he'll be so happy, too!"

He smiled. "I'm sure he will." The grin faded slightly as he said, "Everything's going to be different now."

"Is that a bad thing?" I inquired.

"Not at all," he responded.

I wasn't feeling overheated or in lots of pain, and by this point I felt a little bit stronger that before, so I said gently, "You know, we can't stay in here forever. Besides, even with you here, Snape's corpse is really beginning to freak me out. And Narcissa knows some spells she needs to put on Lilith and me, just to make sure we're healthy and everything."

He hesitated. "Are you sure you're ready to travel yet? I could maybe just bring Narcissa here. You were in so much pain before; I'd hate to seen you strain yourself too much."

"Don't worry," I reassured him. "I'm feeling loads better now. I'd really just love to go home and get cleaned up a bit. You'd be surprised how much healing power a shower or bath has."

"If you're sure, then I'm fine with going now."

"I'm sure, but could you take Lilith for me? I don't want to drop her if I have trouble getting up." I carefully handed my sleeping child to him and painfully stretched out my legs. He gave me a concerned glance as I winced.

"You're sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. It's just sore muscles." I got my feet on the floor and arched my stiff back. The small cracking that came from it was both painful and somewhat satisfying. I eased myself up. My legs felt like jelly, and I was pretty sore all over, but I was strong enough to hobble over to him and grip his arm tightly as we Disapparated out of the gloomy room.

I wobbled and almost fell as we landed in the bedroom of our own house, but I steadied myself and was able to walk into the bathroom with some help from Voldemort. I slid into the tub, sighing as the warm water soothed my aching muscles and refreshed my sticky and grimy skin. Voldemort cleaned up Lilith in the meantime, cleaning off the small bits of blood and the other fluids that were on her soft skin.

I put Lilith in her crib for the first time and watched her carefully as I pulled on a loose-fitting dress. Contrary to my prior beliefs, I did not snap back to my regular size as soon as she came out of me, and I was honestly a little disappointed with that.

Voldemort came through the doorway, hiding something behind his back.

"Hey! Last time you did that, things did not go well," I warned.

"I have a surprise for you," he replied, only acknowledging my complaint with his signature smirk. And from behind his back, he pulled out-

"My wand!" I cried gleefully. "Thank you so much!" I gave him a big kiss, and held him there for a while. After all, there were many things to be thankful for. Voldemort was alive and unharmed, I had a beautiful baby girl, and now he had brought my wand back to me.

I pulled away with sparkling eyes. "How did you find it?"

"I went back to the battlefield and was walking in the general area that you said you lost it in, and it practically jumped back into my hand. It was obviously eager to be returned to its owner. You're extremely lucky to have such a loyal wand, Bella."

"Wonderful, I'm so glad to have it back. Especially since I need to use it. Follow me," I said walking towards the crib, and he complied.

I looked at little Lilith, who was beginning to shiver slightly in just a diaper, before waving my wand, causing soft little footsie pajamas to cover her. They were a deep purple and they fit her nicely. She immediately looked happier and warmer, even though she was sound asleep.

"I think she likes that," he said softly.

We both looked lovingly over at Lilith, who was beginning to stir.

"Come on, let's go now. I can't wait to see the expression on Cissy's face when she realizes that I've already given birth, not to mention that I did it without an ounce of help from her."

Voldemort helped me from where I was seated on the bed, and I held back a groan, knowing that it would take a little while before I was feeling completely better.

I scooped up Lilith who was now fully awake and regarding me with wide eyes. I kissed her forehead, still not fully believing that she was mine.

"Are you ready?"

"Of course," I said. "I can't wait for everyone to see how wonderful she is."

We landed on the familiar steps of Malfoy Manor and I smiled excitedly. As Voldemort, who was now holding Lilith, rang the doorbell, I stuck my head through the open window and watched Narcissa walk down the long hallway with a trace of a smug smirk. As soon as she saw my head poking through the frame, her steps became quicker, a worried expression plastered itself onto her face, and she began to pelt me with rapid questions with no room to answer them.

"Bellatrix? What are you doing here? Do you know why the battle was called off? You look exhausted! Did something go wrong? Is the Dark Lord with you? Is he alright?" She began to fumble with the lock. "There didn't seem to be anything wrong with him. Is it about you? Are you sick? You really don't look well at all, Bella, you'll have to be careful or the baby-" She pulled open the door and her jaw literally dropped. Her mouth opened and closed as she tried to form words, but all she could do was stand and stare, looking between my considerably smaller stomach and little Lilith as I crossed my arms and tapped my foot impatiently.

"Really, Narcissa, it's getting awfully cold out here. Don't be rude now, do invite us in. Oh, and you should really close your mouth, dear sister, because you have an uncanny resemblance to a fish at the moment."

I raised an eyebrow at her as her jaw snapped shut. I couldn't hold back the grin any longer. A huge smile broke out on my face, and giggling hysterically at her still bulging eyes, I gave her a tight hug. She finally regained her senses and hugged me back, laughing in return.

"You... the baby... _what?_" she shrieked and I laughed some more.

"Narcissa, meet Lilith Abella. Isn't she just beautiful?"

"Yes, but..."

At that moment Lucius came in to see who the visitors were and for a small moment looked very shocked before saying, "Oh. So _that's_ why the battle ended. I... suppose I should go fetch Draco then..." As he walked up the stairs, he discreetly looked back when he thought we weren't watching, and shook his head at the top of the stairs before going to find my nephew.

"Well," Narcissa said, "I can't pretend this isn't a shock. Why didn't you call me as soon as you went into labor? Were you completely on your own?"

"It's a rather long story..." My eyes darted upstairs where I heard footsteps. Smiling at Narcissa mischievously, I casually folded my arms on top of the banister and placed my chin on top of them, looking at the descending men with wide, innocent eyes. Lucius scowled at the angelic expression on my face as he came down while Draco just looked confused.

"Aunt Bellatrix? What are you doing here? My cousin isn't coming yet, is it? Because mother said you'd be coming here when it was time."

"Did she now? Well, I guess she was wrong," I replied, turning to look at Narcissa and winking as I did so.

"She was wrong? How?" He had paused in the middle of the staircase as he tried to decipher my riddling words.

"Because, darling, it turns out that your cousin was _already _born, less than an hour ago, in fact." He blinked, and I stood on my toes to reach his hand. Grabbing it, I pulled him down the remaining stairs, and brought him right to where Voldemort and Lilith were.

"Draco," I told him, "This is your cousin and goddaughter, Lilith Abella.

"My... goddaughter?"

"Yes, yes, you're her godfather, if you want to be, of course. Come on, sit down, you can hold her." I took her from Voldemort and sat down next to Draco, letting a weary sigh slip out as I did so.

"Here, just stretch your arms out, there you go, just let it happen naturally. You've got her perfectly."

"My goddaughter?" he repeated, stunned.

"Yes, Draco. Your goddaughter. Do you not want to be her godfather?"

"Of course I do! But am I ready?"

"I think you are, Draco, and you're the only one I think is right for the job."

Lilith smiled up at him, waving her fists and making baby noises. He hesitantly smiled back.

"She's very nice," he commented.

"Of course she is," Narcissa stated, "but Bellatrix, how exactly did this all happen?"

"Well, it all started like this..."

**Okay, I lied. Two more chapters. It was originally going to be just one more after this, but this chapter would have been waaaaaaaaaaay too long.**


	21. Chapter 21

The Malfoy family hung onto every word as I described what happened at the battle tonight. Narcissa, in particular, looked exceptionally horrified at what I had been through. Even Voldemort was listening carefully, as the only depiction of the events he had heard was rushed and panicked.

"Voldemort realized that Harry Potter was after an object containing, um, some Dark magic that Voldemort had been hiding. He had this weird vision where he found out that Potter had discovered that it was at Hogwarts, and that's why he started the battle, not only because he realized that it would be an opportunity to finally kill Potter, but to also ensure the safety of this object.

"He left in a hurry, and he left me behind. It wasn't safe for me to go, and it wasn't safe for Lilith.

"I actually was going to listen to his orders, but a couple hours later, Nagini seemed to be leading me somewhere. She brought me into a hidden room that I had never seen before. The room was filled with broomsticks that Voldemort used to use before he learned to fly without assistance.

"At first, I thought that Nagini was just trying to distract me, and it worked for a little while. I was curious about the room, and I tested one of the broomsticks out a bit, but my worry took over. Then, Nagini knocked over a can of Floo powder. She expected me to go through, and bring her with me, but I only did the former. I couldn't stand to be at home one minute longer, but I knew that Voldemort would be furious at disobeying two of his orders, not to mention putting Nagini in danger, as she was very important."

"Was?" questioned Lucius, but Narcissa cut him off.

"You mean you actually went? Bellatrix, how could you?" she demanded.

"Yes, Cissy, I did go. I Flooed myself to the Hog's Head, jumped on my broom, and went to the battle.

"Everything went pretty well for a while. I hid in a clump of bushes and hit people when nobody was facing my direction. I even saved Lupin. One of our Death Eaters betrayed our orders and was trying to kill him." I looked to Voldemort. "Did any casualties match up? Did you find any Death Eaters in that area when you retrieved my wand?"

"I believe it was Dolohov."

"Bloody idiot. He's one of those failures who managed to get his memory wiped earlier this year, isn't he?

"Anyways, three men from the Order ended up on the opposite side of the bush and I let my anger get away with me as they plotted to kill people… that I didn't want to be killed.

"I hit one of the men in the back, and the other two started searching the area. I thought they'd given up, but they lit their wands and I was so startled that I actually dropped my wand. I was very close to not being seen, but I fell at the last moment, and they saw me." Narcissa gasped and Draco pulled Lilith closer to him.

"I forgot about the spare wand I had in my sleeve-" "Bella," scoffed Narcissa, "-so I did the only thing that seemed logical: I ran.

"They chased me through the battlefield and into the Forbidden Forest. I was lucky enough to stumble upon my broom, and I jumped onto it. I thought I got away, but they cursed it, and I fell off and I had to keep running.

"I didn't think I could keep it up much longer, so I ducked behind a tree as I saw movement ahead, and it actually worked. They ran right past me, chasing what happened to be a deer. When they saw their mistake, they went back towards the battle.

"I waited behind the tree for them to leave and to catch my breath. But the pain didn't go away, and next thing I knew, I went… I felt… it was time," I stated simply, trying to word it as least awkwardly as I could.

"No," Narcissa whispered. "Oh, no, Bella, don't tell me you started to give birth there!"

"Well… yeah. I did. But wait! It's not quite that bad.

"So, at first, I tried to get back. I thought maybe I could get close enough to the battle to call for help, or maybe even back to my broom, and fly there to find you, Cissy, but I just couldn't do it. I couldn't even move. So I was just sitting there, but something weird happened. A thestral found me."

"Oh, no! That's horrible!"

"No, not at all. I don't know how she found me; I guess she was probably attracted to the blood. Somehow, she realized I was in trouble, and she actually practically forced me to ride her. She brought me to the base of the Whomping Willow. By that point, I had remembered my wand; I used the Immobilus curse to freeze the branches, and as she brought me to the trunk of the tree, I saw a tunnel."

"So that's how you got in," Voldemort mused.

"Yes, I followed the tunnel. Somehow, I got the strength to go through. The thestral couldn't follow me, as she was too big, so I had to go alone, but I got through, and I found myself in the Shrieking Shack.

"It's literally a small house. Downstairs, there was a small living room and bedroom, and there was a staircase, leading to the second floor, I presume. And I saw… well, I guess Voldemort can explain this part to you later. But after I saw the interesting thing in the living room, I pretty much collapsed on the bed and went through two hours of labor there.

"As I got closer, I couldn't stand being alone any longer. I didn't care how angry Voldemort would be; I was just too scared and in too much pain. I used my Dark Mark to call him.

"He came, and he wasn't angry. He helped me through the last few minutes, and then-"

Lilith cried as if right on cue. I laughed and gestured for Draco to hand her over. Slightly embarrassed, but determined to not let it show, I let her feed on the side of me that was further away from them, acting completely nonplussed.

"Well, anyways, that's pretty much it. I squeezed the watermelon out of the keyhole-" I was pleased to see Lucius wince slightly "- and… we really just stayed there long enough to name her and choose her godfather. Maybe only thirty minutes later, we went home, I got cleaned up as Voldemort cleaned Lilith, and retrieved my wand as I was changing, keeping an eye on Lilith in her crib, of course. And then, we came here."

"That's some story," said Narcissa.

"Yes," I replied, "but I'm afraid that even I don't know the whole thing. Voldemort, would you like to explain what else happened?"

"I gathered up the Death Eaters rather slowly. After all, it was nighttime, so many were hanging out in the bars, some drunk, and a few of the more sober ones were already at home, sleeping. I eventually got everyone together, explained that Potter was at Hogwarts, and then we departed.

"There were many shields around the school."

"There were?" I asked, surprised. "Did the teachers think that they could actually stop you?"

" I don't believe so. It would seem that they were trying to get more time, and they did, but we finally broke through and headed onto the grounds.

"I was not in the fight right away. Some of the men in my inside circle stayed with me, though Lucius went out to fight on my request, as well as my promise to keep Narcissa safe, and to keep Draco safe, as well, if he wandered our way."

"I found him, my Lord, and I would have sent him to you, but he was insistent on fighting with me. I assure you, it was not of our intentions to spoil your plans."

"Quite the contrary, Lucius, Draco's actions may have saved my Dark object." I looked back and forth between my nephew and husband, confused.

"Draco then was separated from you, correct? And from there, it seems he went to the Room of Requirement. In the meantime, the Death Eaters were fighting their way through the school, and I followed them.

"Draco, as he told me later, found Potter and his friends going into the Room, and he and his admittedly dimwitted friends followed. They found Potter searching for the diadem, Ravenclaw's diadem, in which I have stored powerful Dark magic.

"They located the crown, but Draco and his friends stopped them. Unfortunately, one of the boys set off Fiendfyre, without even knowing the counter-curse.

"At that moment, I, myself, reached the Room of Requirement to find half of it burning. I quickly put the fire out, and Draco and I were able to take the diadem from Potter, although Potter disarmed Draco in the process. Potter and his friends promptly fled as they saw me, and I could not chase them, as I was checking the crown for damage.

"Thankfully, Ravenclaw's diadem was not harmed, and I quickly brought it with me, out of the castle, and into the Forbidden Forest, where I sought shelter and seclusion in the Shrieking Shack.

"There, however, I discovered that something was wrong. The Elder Wand was not performing better for me than my other wand. It did not seem to make me any more powerful than I already was. I determined that I must not have the full allegiance of the wand.

"As Severus Snape was the one to kill Dumbledore, I assumed that the allegiance of the wand was his.

"I called him, and as I was waiting, Nagini slithered in, to my surprise. She was tired, she told me, as she had come all the way from the Hog's Head. She refused to tell me how she came to me, but I did see traces of ashes on her scales."

"She didn't!" I gasped.

"She did."

"She must have… I didn't willingly bring her. She must have jumped in after me."

"That is my guess, as well. Anyways, I did not have much time to question her. Snape came in… and I ordered her to kill him."

At these words, Narcissa began to cry lightly, Draco turned pale, and even Lucius's lips were pursed tightly.

"Do not feel too badly for him; he was a traitor. Later, I found out from Potter himself that Snape had been a double agent for Dumbledore all along. Of course, as he was a skilled Occlumens, even my impressive Legimency skills could not surpass the barrier of his mind. Perhaps I was foolish to have trusted Snape, especially with his record of being in love with a Mudblood at one point, but he had always provided me with solid information and he had, of course, killed Dumbledore.

"At that point however, I killed him for the Elder Wand. I did not yet know of his allegiance to the Order and to Dumbledore.

"After that, I waited impatiently for Potter to come. I did not think that he could stand to see his friends die for him, and I was correct. He came, and did not even put up a fight. I used the Killing Curse.

"But something went wrong. I was knocked out, and I did not wake until a few minutes later.

"I made another mistake. I did not check to make sure Potter was dead. My mind was overwhelmed with questions, like why I was affected as I killed him, and thoughts of finally winning against him, and finally going home. Thoughts and questions, as well as exhilaration, distracted me to the point where I did not take the precautions. I simply ordered the giant oaf, Hagrid, to carry Potter's body back.

"But as we arrived, Potter only stayed on the ground for moments. In a second, he jumped up, fully alive somehow, and another battle began.

"The Longbottom boy killed Nagini, almost right away, with the sword of Gryffindor itself. Blown away with fury, I chased Potter, ready to kill him.

"Potter tried to convince me to not kill him, or at least that's what it seemed to me. After all, he was talking about random things, along with revealing Snape's true allegiance to me, and I thought he was trying to trick me, but he was being truthful. The Elder Wand was not truly mine. Its allegiance had belonged to Draco, who disarmed Dumbledore. However, as Potter had taken Draco's wand, he earned the allegiance of the wand. However, I was so angry that I did not even think what this meant. If I attempted to kill Harry Potter, the spell would rebound because the Elder Wand cannot harm its master. I would once again be reduced to a soul without a body, as with the first time I tried to kill Potter.

"I was about to throw the Killing Curse at him, when I felt Bellatrix calling me. For a second I hesitated. I was, or so I thought, so close to killing Potter. But I could feel that the call was urgent, and I called off the battle. Potter was stunned, of course. He fully expected me to try and end his life. But I knew something was wrong, horribly wrong, in fact, I had been getting bad feelings for a few hours. I called it off and left, arriving inside the Shrieking Shack, and getting to Bellatrix right on time. It was only a few minutes later that Lilith was born."

There was silence for a moment before I said softly, "This has to be the most insane story anyone has ever told." The shock and tension was broken, and everybody laughed.

"But Bellatrix," said Narcissa, "you said you came right here? You didn't stop anywhere else?"

"No."

"So I'll have to test you and Lilith, I mean, I should anyways…"

"Of course."

"Could you please hand Lilith to someone else, as I perform your tests?"

"No, Lilith first. I feel fine, but we have no way of knowing with her, as she can't tell us if anything is wrong."

"If you insist. Just hand her to me, then." I did so, and Narcissa performed a few spells, and a soft light spread all over Lilith at each incantation that was whispered. After flowing all over her tiny body, the light flowed through the air, and disappeared at Narcissa's head.

"Lilith is perfectly healthy. Now it's your turn."

As Narcissa performed similar spells on me, I felt a tingling sensation as the light engulfed me. As she was done, I took Lilith back from Voldemort and she cooed softly at me, making my face light up with a smile.

"Do you think her eyes will be blue, or do you think they'll change?" I asked, but Narcissa was frowning.

"Narcissa?" I questioned unsurely. "What's wrong? Is there something wrong with me?"

"No, no, not at all. You're in perfect condition, but…" her eyes lingered over the smile that was fading off my face. "You're perfectly healthy and I don't want to ruin the moment. I'll tell you another time."

I frowned slightly at her words, wondering what she could possibly be sad about, but I did not ask further. She was right, after all. Right now was a time for Lilith, and as long as we were both healthy, nothing should take that moment away.


	22. Chapter 22

**This is the last chapter, but DON'T BE SAD! :) I'll be starting the third story in this series, As Luck Would Have It, very soon!**

**I would just like to clarify that neither Bellatrix or Lilith have any problems. Bellatrix and Lilith are perfectly healthy, just as Narcissa said. So don't panic, although you may want to remember it, because Narcissa's secret will come into play later.**

**I love you all! Thanks for the wonderful support :) I sincerely hope you guys will stay with me as I continue this series. As soon as I post the first chapter to As Luck Will Have It, I will post an update here to this story, for any of you who have this story on Story Alert.**

**When you review, please let me know:**

**a) What did you think of this chapter?**

**b) What did you think of this whole story overall?**

**c) What do you think will happen in "As Luck Would Have It?" Be creative! I want to know your predictions!**

**d) What was your general feeling about the end? Were you at all surprised? Disappointed? Happy? Hungry for tacos? I want to know!**

**Yes... those are the same questions I asked at the end of The Luckiest. But I also want to know...**

**e) How old do you want Lilith to be as I start the next story? Should she be half a year old, when babies actually start to do things other than eat, sleep, and cry, or younger?**

**Here's the final chapter! Enjoy!**

Maybe it seemed silly, but it was true. I had lots of money. I've had beautiful homes, wonderful vacations, expensive meals, and splendid dresses. And yet, I had never felt so happy as I did with my little Lilith.

I won't pretend that it is always easy. Especially in the first week or so, waking up in the middle of the night to her crying. I was always patient with her, but still stressed. Once I yelled at Voldemort because he always managed to sleep through the crying, and I felt extremely guilty afterwards.

But one month later, I was really starting to get into the routine of things. I wasn't as tired and stressed when I woke up late at night or early in the morning. I stopped fussing about the negative things (changing diapers, feeding her whenever she cried, having to drop everything to care for her when she needed it) and was finally able to absolutely love having her around.

Her skin is no longer red and splotchy. It is now very pale and smooth, except for her face ,which often has a rosy glow. Her eyes have gotten darker, a deeper blue, and I expect that in time they will be some shade of brown. Her hair has already begun to grow in thicker, and it is very curly. Voldemort seems to think she will look just like me, and although I joke that she will hate me for inheriting my looks, I secretly agree with him, and almost feel a sense of pride that my little girl will look just like her mother.

I'm so convinced that she is perfect that I've gone through great lengths to make sure the world is perfect for her. Narcissa disagrees with this idea, saying that she will be so spoiled, but Voldemort and I poured time into her nursery like we never have before. It is deep purple, as I don't want her to be a girly girl with pink and frills and sparkles, and she already has her own bed that she will sleep in as she gets older, as well as a large bookshelf, with baby books on the bottom and adult books at the top. As she grows, the books will be at the perfect height for her, and I feel rather smart at my idea. She also has a few baby toys, such as floating blocks, and a fuzzy little owl that hoots. I intend to get her more at some point, but for now she is too young to play with them anyways. Speaking of owls, however, she has has a few fake miniature owls that circle over her crib, and a real baby owl in a cage nearby that she can use as she gets older. It is a hawk owl, with white spots and glowing yellow eyes.

Lilith also has some dolls, but not too many, as I don't really see the point in them, other than to turn fine little girls into sissies. She does, however, have many toy broomsticks appropriate for different ages: one for a toddler, a small plastic one that will never let her toes come off the ground, as well as many charms so she doesn't fall off; one for a younger child, this one can come three feet off the ground, but still has many protective charms; one for a slightly older child, this one is wooden and comes ten feet off the ground that still has some charms, but allows more control; and then finally, a real broomstick, though I imagine that I will buy her a new one as she reaches her preteen years, as brooms are always improving, and I certainly want my Lilith to have the best.

Even at just a month old, she really has quite the personality. She's very curious, as I know all babies are, but Lilith is even more exceptionally so. She touches almost every face she sees, often grasping the person's nose in the process, although she isn't very fond of hair. She has the sweetest little laugh, an adorable little giggle. It is short, rather high pitched, and strangely musical, and it is enough to make any other person laugh.

She stares as well. She will stare at a person so intensely that they will begin to feel uncomfortable. She is clearly studying the face, drinking in every detail greedily. Even Voldemort looked stunned as her eyes bore deeply into his. She was no doubt an unusual child. Power radiated off her, even in her young age.

She already had done some accidental magic. One day, a butterfly flew in from the window, and she changed its colors. Her owl shrieked, hurting her sensitive ears, and all of the sudden, its cage door sprung open, and it flew out to munch on the butterfly, which made Lilith laugh. After that little incident, we named the little owl Hunter, and it seemed the perfect name for him, as he got impatient at every insect that came in close range to him.

Voldemort and I talked to Lilith all of the time. I think she's actually starting to understand, even though she can't form words of her own yet.

"Lilith, darling, I do hope you like the color as you get older. If not, I suppose we can change your walls to green, or maybe even blue. But you mustn't like pink," I said sternly, and she stared back at me intensely. "I won't let my first and last child be a delicate little flower. Of course I love Cissy, but I don't really want you to follow in her footsteps. I can't have you breaking down at the sight of blood or-" I was interrupted by a bell from downstairs. "Well, that must be Remus and Tonks. Come on, dear, they've probably brought Teddy with them."

"Hello, Bella," smiled Tonks brightly, holding her two-months-old son. "How are you? And Lilith, of course?"

"Wonderful, the both of us. And you?"

"Absolutely perfect," she said beaming. I knew something was up right away. Tonks was normally cheerful, but she seemed over the moon. I decided not to question her mood, trusting her to bring it up. "Where's Remus? I thought he was coming."

"He got caught up at work," she explained. "He's actually thrilled, though. It seems that he'll finally hold this job. These people don't seem to mind his... condition. Of course, I miss having him home, but I'm happy for him. It's good that he's doing so well."

"Well, I'm glad he's doing fine, and that he had a good job now. Anyways, won't you come in?"

We were seated close together on the couch, as Lilith and Teddy liked to be close to each other. Neither could sit up yet, but they liked to look at each other, waving their fists and making each other laugh.

"And where is your husband?"

"Out," I replied vaguely. "He has some things he has to do." He was actually looking around for the other two Deathly Hallows, or a clue that could lead to them, but I wasn't about to say that.

I turned my focus to Lilith and Teddy. Teddy was making funny sounds that made Lilith laugh, and in turn Teddy would laugh, which would make Lilith continue to laugh...

"It's amazing how much fun they have together, isn't it?" Tonks admired.

"I know. They'll be great friends. I have a feeling that they're going to be like siblings to each other."

"Um, Aunt Bellatrix, speaking of siblings..."

"No, I've not heard from your mother. Sadly, I don't think Andromeda wants anything to do with me, not until she has solid proof that I did not order your father's death."

"Well, that's too bad, but that actually wasn't what I was going to bring up."

"No?" I looked up, and sure enough, she was grinning like the Cheshire Cat again.

It hit me. "Tonks, you're not...?"

"I am! Teddy's going to have a little brother or sister!"

I couldn't help a grin from spreading across my own face. "He is? Well that's great but...That's really soon after Teddy!"

"I know; it was pretty unexpected... but I'm thrilled anyhow," she assured me. "And Remus isn't as upset as last time. It seems that since Teddy is not a werewolf, he isn't worried about our next kid, either."

"That's great! Though I don't know if I'd be up to having another child... ever, but especially not so soon after Lilith." The pain of her birth was still fresh in my mind, and it even made me shiver slightly.

"It's worth it."

"I'm sure it is, but..."

"You're done," she finished for me.

"I love Lilith, and she's perfect, but she's all the perfection I need." I shook my head, saying, "I don't think I could handle another."

She smiled understandingly.

"But what about you? Will this be your last?"

She shrugged, saying, "I don't know. I'd like a girl at some point, and this baby may be one, but I wouldn't have any more than three kids."

"One's certainly enough for me."

"Yes? And what about when you were certain that you didn't want a child at all?"

I narrowed my eyes. "Have my sisters been blabbing?"

Smirking, she replied, "Maybe. But you never know."

"Oh, I do know. I know I'm never going through that again. Lilith is enough for me," I stated firmly. "You can have ten children for all I care, Tonks, but I'm sticking to one, just like my sisters. It seems to work out well, as you and Draco are two fine members of the family. So anyways, when is the new family member due?"

"Eight months."

"Wow, that's not too far off. Two babies less than a year apart."

In time, Lilith and Teddy had both gotten bored and fallen asleep, and Tonks had to get home for Lupin, so we said our goodbyes and she left.

I put Lilith in her crib upstairs and watched her, thinking.

I did not want more children and I sincerely hoped that Voldemort's desire for a boy wasn't very strong. I wanted to enjoy Lilith, and that was that.

And Tonks, having another child so soon. I hope she could deal with it well. The stress would kill me.

I thought of her mother, Andromeda. I had hoped that maybe she would come to see me, at least to see Lilith, but I could not convince her to come, or even get a response other than a simple, "no." She wouldn't speak to me, and there was really nothing I could do about it until I gathered some proof that it was not my fault her husband was dead.

I counted the weeks and days in my head. Voldemort acquired the Elder Wand on my due date. I had been two weeks and one day overdue when I gave birth to Lilith, so that was fifteen days. Lilith was exactly one month old, so that was another thirty-one days. That meant that it had been forty-six days that we had the Elder Wand for. We had exactly 666 days left. It seemed like a lot, but I knew otherwise. Almost two years was shorter than it seemed; It seemed like we found the Elder Wand yesterday, and a whole month and a half had gone by. Time was shorter that it looked, and I was afraid we wouldn't get everything on time.

I looked at Lilith, my perfect little angel with her pale skin and dark hair, and my forehead creased. She was so at peace, and it killed me to think of the chaos of war, what sort of world she may have been brought into. I wanted to find the Deathly Hallows, and fast. I wanted to end this war before Lilith grew up, before she could be thrown into the battle with us. I never wanted her in danger.

I was so deep in thought, that I did not hear Voldemort come up behind me and whisper in my ear, "Are you okay?"

I jumped, startled, and said, "Yes, I've just been thinking."

"There is a lot to think about."

"Tonks is having another child," I commented lightly.

"Is she? Well, I'm sure you're happy for her, but I know that's not what you're thinking about."

"It's not," I said, "but it doesn't matter," I firmly added.

"It doesn't?"

"Not right now," I responded, scooping Lilith up.

"I'm guessing you didn't find anything today?"

"You are correct," he stated. "I think we need to look through the library some more, maybe through some books about myths and legends. That might have more clues, even if not completely based on fact."

"I agree." I eased myself into a chair, and he took the one next to me. I stared into the fire, burning brightly and warmly on this unusually cold night. It reflected off our faces, making Lilith glow with an orange light, and causing Voldemort's tired eyes to flash red with each flicker.

"So, you haven't discovered what Narcissa is keeping from us?"

"No, and I keep forgetting to ask every time I see her. Sometimes I'll remember, but not want to bring it up in that part of the conversation, and forget about it as we keep talking. But today, I spoke to her over the Floo, and I didn't even think of it at all! If you ask me, I'm pretty sure that I'm going to forget about it over time, without ever getting to ask."

"Maybe, but it might be better that way."

"I agree. Narcissa would tell me if something was terribly wrong. Whatever this is, it's not a big deal, at least at the moment, so maybe it's better that I don't worry about it. If I do remember, I don't think I'll ask her anyways."

"That sounds like a good plan."

I stared ahead, listening intently to the crackling and popping of the flames.

"Bellatrix, do you want to talk about the Deathly Hallows?"

"Normally, yes, but not right now. It's hard to explain, but right now I just feel... happy. And relaxed. I don't want to worry about anything right now, because I'm just so content how things are tonight. Do you ...understand?" I asked unsurely.

"Yes," he breathed. "I feel the same way." He kissed me softly on the lips, placed a kiss to the sleeping Lilith's forehead, and pulled his chair closer to mine, putting his arm around my shoulders.

I felt safe and secure in the shelter of his arms, letting the warm waves from the fire wash over me, and the dull light soothe all my nerves. Even though there was much to worry about: the war, the Deathly Hallows, Andromeda, and Lilith, or course, I did not think of it tonight. Tomorrow, it'd be business again. But tonight was special, and Potter did not bother me. The prophecy did not bother me. Narcissa's secret did not bother me. A war may be going on, but right now was sacred. This exact moment would never return, and something told me to just breathe and enjoy it. There was something special about this night and here, right now, by the warm fire, with Voldemort right beside me, and my child in my arms, nobody could say I was unlucky.

For now...

**THE END of Unlucky.**

**Woohoo! Another evil ending XD Well, you'll just have to read my next story then, won't you?**

**I hope you guys enjoyed this story as much as I did. I can't wait to go to Publish...NEW STORY! :D It gives me such a feeling of satisfaction.**

**Keep an eye out for As Luck Would Have It! I'll have the first chapter out pretty soon, and once again, I WILL notify you in a new chapter here as soon as I publish the first chapter. :)**

**Thanks so much for the love and support.**

**Love,**

**Dark Pirate Nellie ;)**


	23. Author's Note

**The new chapter is up! :) Enjoy!**


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